Top 8 MATE Act Training Courses Online

How to Meet the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) CME Requirements

If you’re looking for MATE Act training courses online, you’re in the right place! The Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021 mandate went into effect on June 27, 2023. The Act requires that 8 hours of relevant and ACCME accredited Opioid or additional Substance Use Training be completed by all physicians and other prescribers of controlled substances. 

Acquiring 8 hours of applicable Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits is obligatory for all Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registrants looking to renew or obtain a new license. The DEA CME requirements stipulate the content must pertain to preventing, treating, recognizing, and/or managing substance use disorders. 

To help you satisfy these DEA training requirements, we have compiled a list of the top 8 free and paid MATE Act training courses online.

Clinicians Who Already Satisfy the DEA CME Requirements

• Board-certified addiction psychiatry or addiction medicine physicians. 
• Physicians who have met the DATA-2000 waiver requirements to prescribe buprenorphine can use it to meet the 8 hours of credits under the MATE ACT. 
• Practitioners who have completed 8 hours of substance use disorder coursework and graduated or renewed their license following 5 years of June 27, 2023.

Top 8 MATE Act Training Courses Online That Meet the DEA CME Requirement

1. Medmastery

Medmastery is a video-based learning platform that offers more than 350 CME credits across 17+ clinical specialities (USA AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and European CME credits (ECMEC®s)). Their courses and case-based workshops focus on relevant and in-demand clinical skills to help you become a great clinician. 

They provide all 8 CME credits required under the MATE Act via their Essentials of Addiction Medicine course and accompanying case-based workshop. Both are taught by Yale’s Dr. Stephen R. Holt. Their training will equip you with behavioural and pharmacological interventions, plus the clinical skills required to “handle the full spectrum of substance use disorders.” 

You’ll learn tips and techniques for using accurate and patient-centred language to diagnose, assess, manage, and treat substance use disorders in both hospital and community settings. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll learn to treat:

• alcohol detoxification
• opioid use disorders
• stimulant use disorders
• benzodiazepine use disorder
• acute intoxications from club drug toxidromes
• cannabis use disorder

2. American Society of Addiction Medicine

American Society of Addiction Medicine, ASAM,  is a healthcare educational resource that provides accredited courses, conferences, and training to more than 100,000 healthcare providers. Its wide range of accredited education centres around addiction treatment, substance use disorders, and pain management. 

The ASAM course library offers ample 8-hour online courses that meet the DEA education requirements.

Courses to choose from: 

• ASAM Fundamentals of Addiction Medicine Online (8 CME credits): This introductory course is apt for primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and behavioural health specialists new to the addiction medicine field. It is an on-demand workshop that covers addictive disorders, the neurobiology of addiction, and the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders.
• Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Course: OB/GYN Focus (8 CME credits): As the name suggests, this course identifies and manages opioid use disorders among pregnant and postpartum patients. It also covers neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. 
• Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder (8 CME credits): Over 29.5 million people over the age of 12 suffered from Alcohol Use Disorder in 2020 according to the 2021 National Survey of Drug Use and Health. This course trains you with inpatient and outpatient skills to diagnose and treat alcohol withdrawal syndrome using evidence-based approaches. 

3. American Medical Association Ed Hub

American Medical Association (AMA) Ed Hub is an education hub that provides a wide variety of medical learning content that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), and this includes MATE Act training courses available online. Physicians and other medical professionals can enhance their cardiology, hypertension, and paediatric knowledge, among many other clinical skills with the AMA education modules. 

AMA provides 58 CME credits under its substance use disorder module where you can master safe opioid prescribing, addiction treatment, and substance use disorder patient care.

AMA’s substance use disorder CME courses: 

• Analysis of Substance Use Disorder Treatment Admissions in the US by Sex and Race and Ethnicity Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic (1 CME credit): This JN Learning article is great for physicians interested in learning about the correlation between COVID-19 and drug overdoses and usage. The article covers data and reports regarding the surge of substance use disorders during COVID-19 and quantifiable national treatments. 
• Prescription Drug Misuse and Addiction: Compassionate Care for a Complex Problem (2 CME credits): Stanford Medicine offers this free drug misuse course under the AMA Ed hub. It is self-paced and covers addiction psychiatry and pain management treatment plans using California’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and clinical interviews. Participants need to complete the activity’s graded test or attest to their participation and the CME Evaluation to claim their CME certificate.  

4. American College of Physicians 

The American College of Physicians, ACP is a professional community and educational resource representing over 160,000 internal medicine specialists and subspecialists. ACP online learning centre includes thousands of hours of CME and MOC credits. Members can access practice management and educational tools needed to advance their clinical skills. 

ACP provides multiple credits that meet the DEA CME requirements for substance use disorder, covering pain management, substance use discussion in internal medicine, alcohol use, and buprenorphine prescription. Formats include ACP podcasts, journals, video presentations, or interactive training modules.

MATE Act training courses online that meet the DEA CME requirement: 

• ACP Pain Management 7: Opioid Use Disorder (5 CME credits): The 7 modules of this interactive training focus on complications due to opioid intoxication, the neuropharmacology of opioid addiction, and patient care for those with chronic pain. It also covers treatment options for opioid addiction using naltrexone, buprenorphine, and methadone, along with other psychological interventions. 
• Evidence-Based Care of Substance Use Disorders (1 CME credit): This podcast is for practitioners looking to acquire 1 CME credit on their way to the hospital or those who love audio content. The podcast, Annals on Call, features Dr. Centor and Dr. Stephan Kertesz, who discuss the current medical treatments available for substance use disorders. ACP members can get their CME credit by taking a CME quiz based on the podcast. 
• Care of Patient Using Cannabis (1.5 CME credits): This journal discusses the criteria and effects of cannabis use disorder in the United States. It also reviews the developmental pathways, withdrawals, and intoxication of cannabis addiction. This article is a great resource for physicians wanting to explore evidence-based psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for cannabis use disorder. 

5. The American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine 

The American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM) is an educational avenue that concentrates on addiction medicine, treatments, research, and training. Members can attend AOAAM annual conventions, earn certifications, or enrol in on-demand courses. Non-members interested in earning CME credits can also subscribe or sign up to get access to the AOAAM CME education site. 

The AOAAM Learning Portal currently offers multiple 1–1.5 credit Essentials of Addiction Medicine CME courses for 35 USD. It also offers a one-time 8 CME credit program under its DEA- Addiction Medicine Essentials Course for 149 USD. The program covers neurobiology of addictions, naloxone prescription, cannabis use disorders prevalence, substance use disorder patient assessment, and withdrawal management. 

6. New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM Group 

The NEJM Knowledge+ is a medical training organisation for clinicians, residents, fellows, and medical students. The organisation provides training in family, internal, paediatric, addiction and pain management, and Covid-19 vaccination topics. Its programs help clinicians earn CME and MOC credits. 

If you’re looking for MATE Act training that’s free for medical professionals, the NEJM’s Pain Management and Opioids module will provide the 8 CME credits needed. This module is supported by an education grant from Opioid Analgesic REMS Program Companies. 

This online pain management and opioids training consists of a case-based curriculum that dives into 8 areas of the topic. You will review opioid pharmacology, musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal pain, acute pain, opioid prescription, and opioid use disorder. You will satisfy the DEA CME requirements after successfully completing 62 case-based questions. 

7. American Academy of Family Physicians

The American Academy of Family Physicians, AAFP is a medical community of family physicians that promotes community health and patient-physician relationship through advocacy initiatives and programs. AAFP’s education program offers a wide range of CME credits in cardiovascular conditions, emergency care, family medicine, chronic care, COVID-19, maternity, pulmonary medicine, and many more. 

If you’re looking for MATE Act training courses online, go to their pain management module. It consists of 17.75 credits of a Substance Use Disorder course. The course is separated into 21 interactive sessions and after each session students can report their credits that go towards their DEA CME requirements. The course aims to train participants in evidence-based treatments and guidelines for substance use disorders. Students will review harm reduction approaches, skills, and techniques related to patient-centric practices. 

Some topics covered are alcohol use disorder, telemedicine-based opioid use disorder, substance use screening, trauma-informed care, and psychological comorbidities management. 

8. National Institute on Drug Abuse 

National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA is a government research organisation that specialises in addiction and drug use. Some of its research areas include addiction science, harm reduction, psychedelic and dissociative drugs, opioids and other drugs, and syringe services programs. NIDAMED is a great clinical resource for healthcare professionals looking for treatment resources, and health professional education. 

NIDA’s clinical education resources incorporate ample CME/CE activities on substance use disorder and addiction topics that have offerings from accredited learning centres, universities, and professional communities.

NIDA substance use disorder CME activities:

• Words Matter – Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction: A CME/CE Activity (0.75 CME credits): This CME activity is intended for physicians, practitioners, nurses, and other medical professionals who work with drug use and addiction. It takes 45 minutes to complete and teaches clinicians how to use destigmatized language to reduce addiction stigma.
• Science to Medicine: A CME/CE Activity (2.50 CME credits): Interested in learning about the latest clinical research pertinent to operationalizing patient care in the substance use disorder field? Then this continuing education activity is for you. Its modules take an estimated 2.5 hours to complete and include peer-reviewed research on opioid use disorder treatments and assessments. 
• CME Podcast—Engaging the Nursing Community in Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (0.25 CME credits): This CME podcast is for nurse practitioners and nurse care managers who want to earn their credits towards the DEA CME requirements in a short time frame. This CME activity takes approximately 15 minutes and explains the implementation process for opioid use disorder. This podcast requires participants to take a quiz at the end to claim CME credits.
  • Update: The original accreditation expired, and we’re waiting to see if they are successful at extending it.

Final Thoughts on the DEA CME Requirements

We hope our list of top MATE Act training courses online will help you satisfy the requirements to obtain substance use disorder CME credits. The goal of these DEA licensing requirements is to equip all physicians and prescribers with the skills needed to correctly identify, diagnose, manage, and treat substance use disorders and addiction. 

Completing this one-time 8-hour CME credits requirement will train you with these valuable skills needed to fight the battle of the substance/opioid addiction epidemic.