Despite significant concerns about unintended consequences that the AMA expressed (PDF) to the U.S. Senate in 2022, the Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, and will take effect in June.

The listed CME activities can be taken in any combination to fulfill the eight-hour requirement that applies to DEA-registered physicians. They cover areas such as:

• Safe opioid prescribing and management.
• Addiction treatment.
• Managing addiction in special populations.
• Preventing and managing opioids overdoses.

The deadline for physicians to satisfy this new training requirement (PDF) is the date of their next scheduled DEA registration submission—regardless of whether it is an initial registration or a renewal registration—on or after June 27.

By completing this CME early, starting June 27 physicians will be able to simply check a box on their DEA registration application or renewal form indicating that they have satisfied this training requirement. The training does not have to happen in one session, and past trainings on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance-use disorders can be used to meet the new DEA requirement.

While the AMA doesn’t endorse (PDF) the requirement, it is “positioned to help remove friction with a great solution,” said Bobby Mukkamala, MD, chair of the AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force.

“Since the AMA first convened the Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force in 2014, physicians have dramatically increased and enhanced our education around pain and substance use disorders,” Dr. Mukkamala added. “The epidemic of drug overdoses and deaths evolves daily, so it is important the medical community continue learning and adapting to meet the needs of patients struggling with opioid use disorder.

The courses feature education from the AMA and other trusted sources, including the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

The AMA Ed Hub is an online learning platform that brings together high-quality CME, maintenance of certification, and educational content from trusted sources, all in one place—with activities relevant to you, automated credit tracking and reporting for some states and specialty boards.

Learn more about AMA CME accreditation and how to comply with the MATE Act and DEA training requirement.

The AMA believes that science, evidence and compassion must continue to guide patient care and policy change as the nation’s opioid epidemic evolves into a more dangerous and complicated illicit drug overdose epidemic. Learn more at the AMA’s End the Epidemic website.