The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) has announced the launch of a new one-hour, online training module designed to educate medical professionals and students about prescribing buprenorphine to patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). The Buprenorphine Mini-Course: Building on Federal Prescribing Guidance module, is presented by ASAM in collaboration with the American Medical Association (AMA) and Shatterproof.

Utilizing the chronic care framework of addiction treatment, the fully online module offers practical considerations for buprenorphine initiation, dosing, and ongoing patient management to prescribers seeking to initiate buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD. In addition, through interactive and application-focused learning, participants will explore the core principles of OUD treatment and the importance of language when treating patients with this chronic disease.

The brief training module is designed to expand on the Buprenorphine Quick Start Guide developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  The quick start guide was released in conjunction with Practice Guidelines for the Administration of Buprenorphine for Treating Opioid Use Disorder issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Under the practice guidelines, eligible physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives are exempt from federal certification requirements related to training, counseling and other ancillary services that are part of the process for obtaining a waiver to treat up to 30 patients with buprenorphine,

We encourage medical professionals and students to sign up for the module today. By taking this course, learners will help strengthen America’s medical response to OUD and increase access to life-saving medications. Plus, CME credit is available upon completion of the training module.

To sign up for the one-hour, online training module, please click here.

The training module will be available for free in the ASAM e-Learning Center and the AMA Ed Hub for the duration of the CME approval period (3 years). In addition, ASAM is offering its eight-hour, fully online Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Course in the ASAM e-Learning Center at no cost through December 31, 2021. We encourage medical professionals and students to take advantage of these fantastic resources!