American Academy of Family Physicians (03/24/2023)

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recently recommended the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) cautiously implement upcoming training mandates for prescribing controlled substances. The academy said the deployment of the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act should account for training that many family physicians have already undergone. There should also be a 12-month grace period so physicians who might require additional training from when they seek to register or renew their DEA license will not interrupt patient care. The AAFP also requested that the DEA waive the need for detailed paperwork when physicians state they have met training requirements. Although the academy successfully lobbied to remove the X-waiver requirement for physicians who prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, it asked DEA and SAMHSA to explain that previous X-waiver training satisfies the MATE Act training requirement. The AAFP also advised that recent family physician residents should meet the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's training mandate for substance abuse disorder and safe prescribing. The academy called on the DEA "to clearly stipulate that trainings completed to comply with existing state requirements will count toward completion of the MATE Act training requirements and work with states to provide clear guidance to physicians regarding how many additional hours of training are required." Additionally, the AAFP said that qualifying training required by the MATE Act should include AAFP-accredited continuing medical education.

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