
MAT and MATE Acts update
MAT and MATE Acts update
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
The Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act updates federal rules to address the public health crisis driven by the opioid epidemic and empowers all health care providers with a standard controlled medication license to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, just as they prescribe other essential medications.
The Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act standardizes substance use disorder training to ensure that all prescribers of addictive medications possess baseline knowledge in evidence-based addiction prevention and treatments.
Here is what we know so far:
- The new training requirement under the MATE Act is only for physicians with a DEA license that allows them to prescribe controlled substances under schedules II, III, IV, or V.
- The MATE Act Training requirement became effective on June 27,2023. This is for all new license applications, as well as license renewals.
- It is a one-time Substance Use Disorder (SUD) education requirement for DEA prescribers.
- Under Section 1263 of the CAA 2023, the one-time SUD education requirement becomes a condition on a controlled medication prescriber’s DEA registration beginning with the first applicable registration. The “first applicable registration” is defined as the first DEA registration or renewal of the DEA registration by a controlled medication prescriber that occurs on or after the date that is 180 days after the law’s enactment. The DEA is to provide an electronic notification of the new SUD education requirement to DEA prescribers within 90 days after the law’s enactment. Of note, a physician who holds a board certification in addiction psychiatry or addiction medicine from the American Board of Medical Specialties, a board certification from the American Board of Addiction Medicine, or a board certification in addiction medicine from the American Osteopathic Association meets the training requirement set forth in Section 1263 of the CAA 2023.
- It is a one-time Substance Use Disorder (SUD) education requirement for DEA prescribers.
Additionally, the MAT Act has eliminated the X-Waiver program. This was effective immediately in December 2022.
There is no new training requirement for physicians who do not have a DEA number.
Resources
DEA homepage: https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/
AMA Ed Hub™ webpage of training to comply with substance use disorders and addiction training requirement: https://edhub.ama-assn.org/course/302
Virtual CME program – P.A.C.T.: Practical Approaches to Comprehensive Treatment of Pain, 3.50 CME/CE credit; view accreditation and access the program here