Removal of the DATA Waiver Requirement for Practitioners !!
Posted 2 months ago by Keith Chamberland
RIDOH Provider Advisory
The following provider advisory was sent to Rhode Island prescribers of controlled substances. The advisory raises awareness about the removal of the DATA Waiver for practitioners prescribing buprenorphine. You are encouraged to review this communication and share within your network.
January 19, 2023Removal of the DATA Waiver Requirement for Practitioners
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 has eliminated the federal requirement for practitioners to have a DATA waiver to prescribe medications, like buprenorphine, for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). The US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently announced these important changes to the DATA waiver program.
- Practitioners may now prescribe buprenorphine for OUD in their practice if permitted by applicable State law.
- All prescriptions will only require a standard DEA registration number.
- In addition, there will no longer be limits on the number of patients a prescriber may treat for OUD with buprenorphine.
- New training requirements for all prescribers will go into effect on June 21, 2023. The DEA and SAMHSA are currently working to provide further guidance.
Several local and national resources are available to support healthcare providers who wish to expand buprenorphine prescribing practices. These resources include:
For more information, please contact Dr. Collette Onyejekwe, Rhode Island Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
- Brown Continuing Medical Education (CME)’s free, on-demand course opportunities such as Practical Implications of Prescribing Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain and Translating Buprenorphine Training into Practice.
- Rhode Island’s 24/7 Buprenorphine Hotline, 401-606-5456, answers questions for emergency medicine providers who are starting patients on buprenorphine in the emergency department.
- The Substance Use Warmline, 855-300-3595, offers information on how to start or maintain a patient on buprenorphine.
- The Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS) and Opioid Response Network provide peer mentoring at no cost.
- The American College of Emergency Physicians has a catalogue of resources for emergency providers including Treating Opioid Withdrawal in the ED with Buprenorphine: A Bridge to Recovery and Managing Opioid Withdrawal in the Emergency Department with Buprenorphine.
