VERIFICATION OF OPIOID EDUCATION FOR PHYSICIANS, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, AND PODIATRISTS APPLICATIONS AND RENEWALS SUBMITTED AFTER JULY 1, 2017
Section 9.1(a) of ABC-MAP* requires that all prescribers or dispensers, as defined in Section 3 of ABCMAP, applying for licensure/certification complete at least 4 hours of Board-approved education consisting of 2 hours in pain management or the identification of addiction and 2 hours in the practices of prescribing or dispensing of opioids. Medical and Osteopathic physician and surgeons, Medical and Osteopathic physician assistants, and Podiatrists fall within ABC-MAP’s definition of prescribers or dispensers. Requirements for initial applicants and additional prescriptive authority approvals Medical and Osteopathic physician and surgeons, Medical and Osteopathic physician assistants, and Podiatrists who are prescribers licensed after July 1, 2017, must document, within one (1) year from issuance of the license, that they completed this education either as part of their professional degree education program, or through a stand-alone course from a Board-approved provider. The four (4) hours of Board-approved education needs to be completed only once. Where the education is completed as stand-alone opioid education, verification of completion may be documented on the Verification of Opioid Education or on a Certificate of Completion that includes the name of the course, the specific number of hours in each of the required content areas and the date completed. The Verification forms will be available on the website at www.dos.pa.gov/med. Renewals As a condition of renewal, section 9.1(a)(2) of ABC-MAP requires that physicians, physician assistants, and podiatrists who are prescribers complete at least two (2) hours of continuing education in pain management, the identification of addiction or the practices of prescribing or dispensing of opioids. The continuing education requirements of ABC-MAP will count towards the total number of continuing education credits required for renewal. For medical physicians, this continuing education must be in AMA PRA Category 1 or 2 approved activities. For osteopathic physicians, this continuing education must be in American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Category 1 or 2 approved activities or American Medical Association (AMA) PRA Category 1 or 2 approved activities. For medical and osteopathic physician assistants, this continuing education must be acceptable for credit by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). For podiatrists, this continuing education must be taken from a continuing education provider approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME), the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or the Board, and its completion attested to when applying for renewal. To ensure Board approval for Act 124, it should be clear from the title of the CE that the course is instructive on the subjects specified in Act 124; pain management, identification of addiction, and/or the practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids. The Achieving Better Care by Monitoring All Prescriptions Program Act (ABC-MAP)(also known as Act 124 of 2016), 35 P.S. § 872.3, is available on the Legislature’s website at: https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/li/uconsCheck.cfm?yr=2016&sessInd=0&act=124 Section 18.8(6) of the Medical Board’s regulations are available on the State Board of Medicine’s website at ww.dos.pa.gov/med.
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