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About The MATE Act - FAQ

What is the MATE Act?

The Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act is part of a federal law passed in December 2022 that creates a new requirement for any Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registered practitioners.

When does this take effect, and is there a deadline?

The new requirement came into effect on June 27, 2023, which means if you currently have an active DEA registration you must have met the requirement before your next renewal submission. For example, if you recently renewed your registration in May 2023, and your next renewal is in 2026, you have until 2026 to complete the 8 hours of training.

If you do not have an active DEA registration, you are not expected to meet this requirement. However, this requirement must be met before submitting an initial or renewal DEA registration application.

What is the new requirement?

DEA Registered Practitioners must complete a total of eight hours of training on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. This is a one-time training requirement and will not be part of future registrations or renewals after it is met.
The training(s) can be in many formats (in-person classroom setting, part of a seminar, an online course, etc.), they do not need to be in one consecutive session and must equal a total of 8 hours.

Who needs to meet this new requirement?

The notification letter sent by the DEA states "all DEA-registered practitioners, with the exception of practitioners that are solely veterinarians" must meet this requirement.

What practitioners are deemed to have already met the new requirements?

Per the notification letter and the ACCME's FAQ on this new act, the following groups of practitioners are "deemed to have already satisfied the requirement":

• Practitioners who have graduated from their professional school within 5 years of June 27, 2023, or 5 years of their license renewal following June 27, 2023, and completed a curriculum that included at least eight hours of coursework regarding SUD during that time.
• Practitioners who previously completed training to meet the requirements of the DATA-2000 waiver to prescribe buprenorphine can count this training towards the 8-hour training requirements.
• Physicians who are board-certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry.

How can I meet this requirement? 

Before rushing to register for a new course, you may have already met this requirement! The notification letter sent by the DEA² states that training offered by any accredited organization or provider from the list provided (shown below), that focused on "the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders", and that was offered and completed by providers "before the enactment of this new requirement on December 29, 2022", will also count towards the total 8-hour requirement. We highly recommend you review your records for previously awarded CME or Accredited CE courses that may already meet the criteria. 

If your previous training does not meet the cumulative 8-hour requirement, or if you do not belong to either of the groups above that are considered to have "already satisfied the requirement", you will need to complete additional training before your next renewal registration submission in order to satisfy this requirement. 

Our CME Program currently has two Grand Round sessions which meet this new requirement and will provide up to 6 hours of training at our upcoming Annual Pediatric Postgraduate Course in 2024. 

As of the publishing of this article, we are reviewing our previously accredited activities to confirm: which past trainings met the requirement, what currently scheduled future training will meet this requirement, and which are available as on-demand courses here on iLearnPeds.com. Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on when this list of courses will be published. 

What records do I need to submit, or what process do I need to complete, in order to report that I have met this new requirement? 

Beginning June 27, 2023, any practitioner submitting a renewal registration submission, or submitting their initial registration submission, will need to check a box on their online DEA registration form affirming they have completed the requirement.

While the DEA letter does not state that any records, transcripts, or certificates will need to be submitted, we strongly recommend that practitioners keep a log of their earned credits that meet this requirement. Logged-in iLearn users can upload their records using the External Credits feature which allows you to list and upload records for credits earned outside of the iLearn System, or separate records and certificates for easy access. To enter a record, click the "Add Credits" button and enter all the related information. You can also upload a PDF with a list of all the training and certificates that meet the requirements. 

Will this be required at every renewal? 

No, this is a one-time requirement. Per the DEA letter, the affirmation requirement will not be a part of future registration renewals. 

Is this requirement in addition to the 2-Hour Controlled Substance Prescribing Course required by Florida Statute Section 456.0301? 

Florida Statue Section 456.0301 states that licensing boards must require (with each biennial license renewal) that their licensees complete a 2-hour board-approved course if they are DEA-registered providers³. This includes practitioners licensed by the Florida Board of Medicine and The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine, among others. 

Per the statute, the course must "include information on the current standards for prescribing controlled substances, particularly opiates; alternatives to these standards; nonpharmacological therapies; prescribing emergency opioid antagonists; and the risks of opioid addiction following all stages of treatment in the management of acute pain", which means these courses satisfy the content parameters of the new MATE Act training requirements. If you have completed the FL Statute requirement at least once, you may need an additional 6 training hours (at minimum) to complete the new requirement as the statute requirement is a minimum of 2 hours. 

Who can provide training that meets this new requirement? 

The notification letter sent by the DEA to registered practitioners included the complete list of groups and accreditation organizations that can provide this training, shown below. Additionally, providers can complete training from the following local groups in the State of Florida (including but not limited to):

• Us! The Department of Medical Education at Nicklaus Children's Hospital is directly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education.
• Baptist Health CME (ACCME Accredited)
• The University of Florida Continuing Medical Education (ACCME Accredited)
• The University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine (ACCME Accredited)
• The following providers as stated in the DEA notice to registered practitioners:
  • The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
  • The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP)
  • American Medical Association (AMA)
  • The American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or any organizations accredited by the AOA to provide continuing medical education
  • The American Dental Association (ADA)
  • The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS)
  • The American Psychiatric Association (APA)
  • The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
  • The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)
  • The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
  • Any other organization approved or accredited by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use
  • Any other organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or the Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition (CCEPR), whether directly or through an organization accredited by a State medical society that is recognized by the ACCME or CCEPR

Additional Reading

Here is our first article posted on the MATE Act which has been recently updated to include a list of links to online resources where you can complete the new requirement.

You can also read the following:

• [NEW] This MATE Act cheat sheet was recently made available by the AAP and includes an easy-to-follow algorithm to identify if you need to meet the new requirement.
• The Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act FAQ from the ACCME
• Training Requirements (MATE Act) Resources and Recommendations for Curricular Elements in Substance Use Disorders Training from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Sources

¹ H.R.2617 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. (2022, December 29). https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2617

² U. S. Department of Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). (2023, March 27). DEA Notification Letter to Registered Practitioners [Letter]. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/docs/MATE_Training_Letter_Final.pdf

³ Chapter 456 Section 0301 - 2018 Florida Statutes - The Florida Senate. (2018). https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2018/456.0301