Mandatory Prescriber Education

Prescribers licensed in New York to treat humans and who have a DEA registration number to prescribe controlled substances, as well as medical residents who prescribe controlled substances under a facility DEA registration number, are required to complete at least three (3) hours of course work or training in pain management, palliative care, and addiction. The course work or training must be completed once every three years, and an attestation confirming completion made to the Department.

Practitioners must notify the Department of Health that they have completed the educational requirements by submitting an attestation online.

Click on the following links for more information and guidance.

Prescribers can fulfill the mandate by completing a free, comprehensive course covering the eight required topic areas, sponsored by NYSDOH, from the University at Buffalo. The previous two-part program has been updated in 2023 into one comprehensive new program.

The complete course can be accessed at: Opioid Prescriber Education Program - School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences - University at Buffalo.

Other course work may be available through prescribers' professional organizations.

Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act

The Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act was signed into federal law and became effective on December 29, 2022. Important changes resulting from the MAT Act include the:

  • Elimination of the requirement for a special registration through the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (commonly referred to as an X-waiver) to prescribe or dispense buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD).
  • Elimination of the limitations on the number of patients a practitioner was permitted to treat with buprenorphine for OUD.

A practitioner holding a standard DEA registration may now prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD, without limitation to the number of patients. Nothing in 10 NYCRR §80.84 should be interpreted to contradict these changes.

Note: The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 enacted a new one-time requirement for all DEA-registered practitioners, except veterinarians, to complete 8-hours of training in the identification and treatment of substance use disorders when renewing or completing an initial registration.

  • This training is in addition to the New York State Mandatory Prescriber Education that must be completed every 3 years.