The course covers all forms of medications and treatments of opioid use disorder, and provides the required education needed to obtain the waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. ASAM is an approved provider by CSAT/SAMHSA of DATA 2000 training.

Physicians: The Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000) specifies training is necessary for physicians to obtain a waiver to engage in office-based treatment of opioid use disorders using drugs approved by the FDA on Schedules III, IV, and V. This course covers medications to manage patients with addiction involving opioid use. ASAM is one of the national organizations named in the DATA 2000 legislation as eligible to prepare and administer these courses. To qualify for authority to prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid dependence, DATA 2000 requires physicians to complete no less than eight hours of training.

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants: On July 22, 2016, President Obama signed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) into law. CARA authorizes qualified NPs and PAs to become waivered to prescribe buprenorphine in office-based settings for patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) for a five-year period expiring in October 2021. ASAM, AANP, and AAPA are authorized by statute to provide this training. This course covers medications to manage patients with addiction involving opioid use.

To qualify, NPs and PAs must:
• Be licensed under state law to prescribe Schedule III, IV, or V medications for pain
• Complete not less than 24 hours of appropriate education through a qualified provider
• Through other training or experience, demonstrate the ability to treat and manage OUD
• If required by state law, be supervised or work in collaboration with a qualifying physician to prescribe medications for the treatment of OUD

Please ensure that your state regulations allow you to prescribe buprenorphine and other medications to treat OUD before you apply for the waiver.  Some states may have overriding state legislation that will prevent NPs from prescribing these medications even if Federal law allows it.