Does AOAAM offer specialty and subspecialty CME?

Yes, you can earn AOA Category 1-A credit annually at by attending our seminars at OMED, as well as specialty credit and subspecialty CME credit in addiction medicine; check out our agenda  AOAAM assures its members the latest and most valuable information regarding addiction medicine.

Does AOAAM offer a certificate in addiction medicine?

On April 12, 2016, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) passed a resolution that will provide DOs who are ABAM diplomats with a process to attain an AOA subspecialty certification in Addiction Medicine. The resolution calls for the AOA to create a mechanism to allow those osteopathic physicians who have an active AOA primary certification and an active ABAM certification to be granted subspecialty/CAQ certification in Addiction Medicine, with a requirement that they maintain such certification through the AOA’s Addiction Medicine Osteopathic Continuous Certification (OCC) process.

In addition, the AOAAM is offering an Essentials of Addiction Medicine Course that provides educational tools and a recognition 20 hours completion in addiction medicine. This course will be offered at OMED on September 17, 2016 and October 22 & 23, 2016 in Lansing, Michigan.

What is Medication Assisted Treatment and what information is available?

AOAAM is involved in a national training and mentoring project developed in response to the prescription opioid misuse epidemic and the availability of newer pharmacotherapies to address opioid use disorder.  The overarching goal of PCSS-MAT is to make available the most effective medication-assisted treatments to serve patients in a variety of settings, including primary care, psychiatric care, and pain management settings.  AOAAM offers certification courses to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction at no charge; other webinars, modules and reference material are also available online.  PCSS-O makes available at no cost CME programs on the safe and effective use of opioids for treatment of chronic pain and safe and effective treatment of opioid use disorder.  You can find more about this initiative at PCSS-MAT and PCSS-O. 

How can I get certified to prescribe buprenorphine? 

Training is available for those interested in seeking their waiver to prescribe buprenorphine in the treatment of opioid addiction. To obtain the waiver to prescribe, providers are required to take 8 hours of training. PCSS-MAT uses the Half-and-Half format (3.75 hours of on-your-own-training and 4.25 hours of face-to-face training with an instructor).  AOAAM offers the online training twice monthly. To view upcoming training sessions click here. These programs have been approved for 4.0 AOA Category 1-A CME credits (live webcast session) providing all requirements have been met. They have also been approved for 4.0 AAFP Prescribed Credit hours, which are eligible for the AMA’s Physician Recognition Award Credit. Participants are required to attend the entire session and participate in the polling questions and post-test (with a passing grade of 70%) in order to be eligible for CME credit.

Is there a limit on the number of patients a practitioner may treat with buprenorphine at any one time? 

Yes. The DATA 2000 Act, as amended in December 2006, specifies that an individual physician may have a maximum of 30 patients on opioid therapy at any one time for the first year. One year after the date on which a physician submitted the initial notification, the physician may submit a second notification of the need and intent to treat up to 100 patients. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule on July 6, 2016 to increase the limit from 100 to 275. This Rule will become effective on August 5, 2016. Under routine conditions, a practitioner would qualify for the higher limit in one of two ways: 1) By possessing subspecialty certification in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, or 2)  By practicing in a Qualified Practice Setting (QPS) as defined in the rule. In either case, practitioners with the higher limit would have to possess a waiver to treat 100 patients for at least 1 year in order to gain experience treating at a higher limit. To increase your patient limit, visit http://buprenorphine.samhsa.gov/bwns/federal.html.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buprenorphine and DATA 2000 (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2011, from  http://buprenorphine.samhsa.gov/faq.html.

What is the official government agency that is responsible for managing the certification and registration of physicians using buprenorphine and what is the contact information? 

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), CSAT Buprenorphine Information Center – 866.BUP.CSAT, info@buprenorphine.samhsa.gov, http://www.buprenorphine.samhsa.gov.

How can I find a Board Certified physician practicing addiction medicine? 

You may search our site for board certified addiction specialists: Search AOAAM or the AOA at http://osteopathic.org/Pages/default.aspx

Does the AOAAM offer career center services?

Members seeking jobs have advanced job search capabilities, customized email job alerts, can upload their resume and easily apply online. Members looking for employees have access to a searchable resume database of highly qualified candidates and can advertise and customize job postings at an affordable rate. View our career center.

Does AOAAM offer a journal to members?

AOAAM publishes a printed and online Journal of Addictive Disease to its members at no additional fee.

How do I become an AOAAM member?

Stay connected with those who have an interest in practicing, researching, and teaching addiction medicine. Click here to join.

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