Alabama remains at the top of the list for opioid prescriptions per 100 residents. To inform prescribers about issues involved in prescribing controlled substances, the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical License Commission of Alabama added an ongoing CME requirement to its initial certificate requirement. All Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate holders are now required to obtain two (2) AMA PRA Category 1 (TM) credits or equivalent every two years in the areas of:
- Controlled substance prescribing practices,
- Recognizing signs of the abuse or misuse of controlled substances, or
- Controlled substance prescribing for chronic pain management.
Neither MASA nor ABLME have specific documentation or review requirements to determine that an activity meets this requirement. They only require that it can be categorized in one of the 3 areas noted above and suggest that the name be descriptive and refer to one of those three areas.
The DEA has also introduced a new one-time requirement for eight hours of training on treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders (SUDs). This requirement will go into effect on June 27, 2023. Note that this requirement refers to SUDs of all types, and not just opioid use disorder. All DEA-registered practitioners must meet this requirement and beginning June 27, will be required to affirm that they have completed the new training requirement. Click here for additional information on this requirement and for the official DEA letter describing it.
The UAB Division of Continuing Medical Education is happy to provide review services to ensure that any education that you intend to offer fits these requirements.
Here are some additional sources for obtaining the required CME credit:
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- The UAB Office of CME offers online courses developed by UAB faculty that qualify:
- The UABSIM team has created a tabletop simulation exercise to provide health profession students and practicing healthcare professionals the opportunity to understand opioid use disorder.
- Alahope, a collaboration between a number of state entities and institutions, offers free continuing education to medical professionals on substance use and pain management.
- The Providers Clinical Support System offers multiple education resources on prescribing buprenorphine and related topic areas.
- The National institute on Drug Abuse provides several CME activities on opioid use disorder and stigma
- The AMA currently offers a free 1-hour course on prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder
- The New England Jounral of Medicine has created a free 10-hour training activity on eight distinct topics related to prescribing opioids.
- ACCME's CME Passport, a centralized web applicaton that aggregates members' offerings, provides information on multiple activities applicable to the requirement
- The AMA's Ed Hub also lists multiple activities that will help satisfy the requirement
- The Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASAi) offers courses on prescribing opioids and pain management. Courses are free to members, and are offered to non-members for $30-55/ for 0.5hrs.
- UpToDate offers courses on these subject areas and UAB physicians can create a personal account at no cost through UAB Lister Hill Library and track CME completion.
- The American College of Physicians' learning center offers courses on a range of related subjects, including articles on naloxone, marijuana, and buprenorphine. These units are free to members, and cost $20 for non-members.
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Additional Resources
Alabama Board of Medical Examiners FAQ on prescribing controlled substances
VA Guideline for the use of opioids in pain (2022)
CDC Guideline for the use of opioids in pain (2022)
Primary Care Management of Long-Term opioid Therapy (2022)
Chronic pain: an update on burden, best practices, and new advances (2021)