| 1. | What steps are involved before I can begin prescribing SUBOXONE? | ||||
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Under DATA 2000, qualified physicians may obtain a waiver allowing them to prescribe and/or dispense approved Schedule III-V medications (eg, SUBOXONE) for the office-based treatment of opioid dependence.
To become certified to prescribe SUBOXONE for office-based treatment of opioid dependence (ie, to receive a DATA 2000 waiver), physicians must complete 2 steps:
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| 2. | Who is qualified to prescribe SUBOXONE? | ||||
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According to DATA 2000, licensed physicians are considered qualified to prescribe SUBOXONE if they have met at least 1 of the following criteria:
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| 3. | What is the 100-patient limit? | ||||
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| 4. | When and where are SUBOXONE training sessions held? | ||||
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Information about SUBOXONE training courses (including dates, locations, and online registration) is available at DocOptIn.com or by calling (888) DOC-OPT-IN (888-362-6784).
Information about additional training courses may be found on the websites of the organizations listed below, or by contacting the organization directly: American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM) American Psychiatric Association (APA) American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Some of the above organizations also offer CD-ROM and Web-based buprenorphine training (see their websites for details). |
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| 5. | What topics are covered during SUBOXONE training? | ||||
| A: |
The following subjects are considered the backbone of a DATA 2000—approved buprenorphine training course:
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| 6. | After becoming qualified, what is the next step? | ||||
| A: |
DATA 2000 requires all qualified physicians to notify SAMHSA of their intent to treat opioid-dependent patients with SUBOXONE prior to initiating treatment. This is generally done by submitting a Notification of Intent (NOI) form to SAMHSA.
When you register for a training course through DocOptIn.com, you will simultaneously be filling in the NOI. The completed form is submitted to SAMHSA for you after you finish the training course. Otherwise, the NOI requirement can be met in either of the following ways:
SAMHSA |
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| 7. | What happens after my notification is sent to SAMHSA? | ||||
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Shortly after your Notification of Intent (NOI) is submitted, SAMHSA will send you a letter (or e-mail) acknowledging receipt of your form. This letter means your notification is under active review. |
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| 8. | What if I submit my notification from SAMHSA but do not receive an acknowledgment? | ||||
| A: |
If, after submitting your Notification of Intent (NOI), you do not receive an acknowledgment from SAMHSA, please contact SAMHSA directly at (866) BUP-CSAT (866-287-2728) or info@buprenorphine.samhsa.gov.
To check on the status of your waiver, SAMHSA will need the date you submitted your NOI, and may ask for other identifying information, as well. The same steps apply if you want to check on the status of your waiver after receiving SAMHSA's acknowledgment of receipt. SAMHSA strives to process all waiver requests within 45 days of their receipt. However, if it has been more than 60 days since you submitted your form, SAMHSA asks that you please contact them so they can track your application. |
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| 9. | How will I know when it is OK to begin prescribing SUBOXONE? | ||||
| A: |
When SAMHSA's review of your NOI is complete, you will receive a letter confirming your waiver and providing you with a DATA 2000 prescribing identification number.
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| 10. | Are there any special considerations to keep in mind when I write a prescription for SUBOXONE? | ||||
| A: |
As of July 2005, all prescriptions for SUBOXONE or SUBUTEX must include your DATA 2000 "X" prescribing number. Records must be kept of these and all other prescriptions written for controlled substances. |
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| 11. | Where can I get more information about opioid dependence and DATA 2000? | ||||
| A: |
Additional information about opioid dependence is available at www.opioiddependence.com.
The full text of DATA 2000, including all language describing physician qualifications, training criteria, and the physician-waiver process can be found at buprenorphine.samhsa.gov or by contacting SAMHSA directly:
SAMHSA Buprenorphine Information Center Information about treating opioid dependence, including patient management, preparing your practice, creating a referral network, and more is available in the Practice Management Tool Kit. Patient education brochures and other treatment resources can be downloaded from the Product Literature section of this website. |
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| 1. | SAMHSA buprenorphine website. Available at: http://www.buprenorphine.samhsa.gov/index.html. Accessed April 12, 2005. |