New substance use disorder training requirement to be added to physician DEA registration

Recent federal legislation requires physicians renewing or registering for a license from the Drug Enforcement Administration to prescribe controlled substances to complete eight hours of training on substance use disorder, effective June 27, 2023.

Physicians will need to report that they have completed the training when they renew their DEA registration or when they register for the first time. Since DEA registration is renewable every three years, most physicians won’t have to act immediately to comply. Physicians only need to complete the eight hours of training once.

The required training must cover “treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders, or the safe pharmacological management of dental pain and screening, brief intervention, and referral for appropriate treatment of patients with or at risk of developing opioid or other substance use disorders.” according to an AAFP News report.

Physicians may have already completed courses meeting the criteria for the new requirement, because “the DEA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have updated curricular recommendations to confirm that previous X-waiver and other substance use disorder training hours will count toward the new requirements when completed with an accredited organization,” according to an AAFP News report.

Over the past five years, TAFP has presented 14 lectures for 21 CME credits at its various conferences that would count toward the new requirement.

AAFP recently published a new resource detailing what family physicians need to know about the new rules. Check out the resource here: “New Training Requirement for Controlled Substance Rx: Answers to Common Questions."