The AOAAM Addiction Medicine Board Certification Review Course is now open for registration. This course has been specifically designed to assist physicians who have qualified to take the American Osteopathic Association’s subspecialty certification exam in Addiction Medicine. Those planning to take the OCC (Recert) examination will also find this course immensely useful.
Details:
The initial exam for AOA Addiction Medicine certification is scheduled for December 7-13, 2020. The OCC (Recert) Addiction Medicine Examination is also scheduled at this time
View more details on the AOA website.
Eligible DOs can obtain the certification after spending 1,000 practice hours on Addiction Medicine over a two-year period.
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
To help increase the number of physicians who are certified addiction specialists—which the nation needs more of as it battles an opioid epidemic—AOA Certifying Board Services recently began offering a clinical pathway to AOA board certification in Addiction Medicine.
This certification is available to DOs who are AOA or ABMS board-certified in a primary specialty. To be eligible for the certification’s clinical pathway, they must have spent a minimum of 1,000 practice hours over a two-year period on Addiction Medicine. The two years of practice do not need to be continuous; however, they must have taken place in the five-year period prior to application.
At least half of the practice hours must be devoted to direct patient care. The other half can include activities such as published research, teaching activities within an accredited medical school or ACGME residency, and live or recorded live CME activities.
Urgent need
In 2018, over 67,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S., a significantly higher number than died in car accidents that year. Now, experts fear that the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening the opioid epidemic, with some areas reporting dramatic increases in the number of opioid-related deaths.
The nation has a shortage of physicians who are certified addiction specialists, according to a 2017 White House report. In 2009, it was estimated that the nation needed at least 6,000 such specialists, the report noted. In 2017, there were only 4,400 certified addiction specialists in the U.S., and demand would have been even greater than in 2009 due to the worsening opioid epidemic.
To assist patients with substance use disorder in accessing high-quality health care, the AOA is committed to credentialing physicians who have specialized knowledge of addiction medicine, says AOA President Thomas L. Ely, DO.
“Many communities across the country are reeling from the double blows of the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic,” he says. “Each has been devastating for countless families and stretched many public health departments to the breaking point.
“Increasing the pool of physicians who are certified in addiction medicine is necessary to provide greater access to high-quality treatment among patients with substance use disorders. Our DOs are eager to address substance use disorders using a whole-person approach to care.”
Availability
The clinical pathway will be available for three years following the first administration of the initial exam.
During this period, AOA Addiction Medicine certification will also be available to DOs who have completed an AOA- or ACGME-accredited fellowship in Addiction Medicine, DOs with active American Board of Addiction Medicine certification, and DOs who completed an American College of Academic Addiction Medicine fellowship within the five years prior to applying.
Following the end of the three-year period, physicians will only be able to qualify for AOA subspecialty certification in Addiction Medicine by completing an ACGME-accredited addiction medicine fellowship.
The AOA Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists is currently reviewing eligibility criteria for MDs to obtain AOA subspecialty certification in Addiction Medicine.
The initial exam for AOA Addiction Medicine certification is scheduled for Dec. 7-13, 2020. View more details on the exams page.
More information about the certification, eligibility and required documentation is available in this FAQ.
R Gregory Lande
The American Civil War resulted in massive numbers of injured and ill soldiers. Throughout the conflict, medical doctors relied on opium to treat these conditions, giving rise to claims that the injudicious use of the narcotic caused America’s post-bellum opium crisis. Similar claims of medical misuse of opioids are now made as America confronts the modern narcotic crisis. A more nuanced thesis based on a broader base of Civil War era research suggests a more complex set of interacting factors that collectively contributed to America’s post-war opium crisis.
Learn more
The American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM) would like to acknowledge the violent and traumatic events against our Black community. The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others illustrate the racially driven brutality and violence in our society. Systemic racism has not only impacted the criminal justice system, but also access to housing, employment, education, and healthcare. The marginalization of Black individuals results in higher rates of chronic and acute illnesses, along with higher mortality rates from these illnesses. We see this through the disproportionate numbers of Black Americans who developed and died from COVID-19 infection. Lastly, the impact of prejudice and discrimination on Black individuals affects their psychological well-being and may contribute to substance use. The AOAAM supports the end of prejudice, racism, and violence perpetrated against our Black community and will do our part to help enact meaningful social reforms.
Reminder: the Opioid Response Network has accumulated a list of resources and trainings that may be useful to you during this public health crisis. Resources can be found here.
The Opioid Epidemic and COVID-19: How Social Determinants of Health Create Differential Impacts
ORN Enhances Staff Skills at Leading Outpatient Center
Community Collaborations in Monroe, Louisiana
Through 2019, ORN planned and executed eight community collaborations across the country. In December, ORN partnered with the Northeast Delta Human Services Authority and the Louisiana Department of Health to facilitate strategic discussions around addressing substance use disorders and the opioid epidemic in the Delta region.
More than 20 people attended the two-day event. Topics covered included evidence-based approaches to prevention, treatment and recovery; effective approaches for youth and adolescents; family-centered care; and stigma reduction approaches. A significant part of the meeting focused on hearing about the impactful work happening across the Northeast Delta region and Louisiana and identifying strategies that can support the state's ongoing initiatives to more effectively address the opioid epidemic.
Educational Video Series to Support Substance Use Disorder Treatment
American Indian/Alaska Native Technical Assistance Support
here.
Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse Considerations During COVID-19
From SAMHSA: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Americans are required to stay home to protect themselves and their communities. However, the home may not be safe for many families who experience domestic violence, which may include both intimate partners and children. To help families and communities address intimate partner violence and child abuse health concerns, please read the following, which contains resources.
FY 2020 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Abuse Site-Based Program
Laura R. Lander, MSW, AADC
Emily Chilko, LICSW
This is the second webinar in the telehealth series for the Opioid Response Network (ORN).
Learning Objectives:
This webinar, hosted by the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine through a Opioid Response Network STR-TA grant, will present ways to incorporate telemedicine into treatment programming for substance use disorders, including how to evaluate and expand access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) using telemedicine, types of telehealth provider settings, implementation of PCSS best practices and evolving barriers. Billing codes will also be addressed.
Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 6H79TI080816 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Download the PDF
The Drug Enforcment Agency (DEA) has partnered with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to ensure authorized practitioners may admit and treat new patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In light of the extraordinary circumstances presented by the COVID-19 public health emergency, and being mindful of the exemption issued by SAMHSA, DEA likewise advises that, only for the duration of the public health emergency (unless DEA specifies an earlier date), OTPs should feel free to dispense, and DATA-waived practitioners should feel free to prescribe, buprenorphine to new patients with OUD for maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment following an evaluation via telephone voice calls, without first performing an in-person or telemedicine evaluation. [Read full DEA letter]
The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 enacted by Congress on March 6, 2020. As a result, this would allow broader use of and payment for telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries during the emergency period as defined under the legislation.
These recent changes in telemedicine regulations open new opportunities in patient assessment for Medications for Addiction Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders.
Many communities are adopting telehealth as one way to address gaps in access to treatment for mental and substance use disorders for Rural, Urban, Tribal, Limited-Transportation, Emergency Medical Crisis Disposition and Justice-Involved Populations.
This webinar, hosted by the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine through a Opioid Response Network STR-TA grant, will present ways to incorporate telemedicine into treatment programming for substance use disorders, including how to evaluate and expand access to Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) using telemedicine, types of telehealth provider settings, implementation of PCSS best practices and evolving barriers. Billing codes will also be addressed.
Speaker: William Morrone, DO, MS, MPH, DABAM, FACOFP, DAAPM
For as long as the Secretary of the Department of Health’s designation of a public health emergency remains in effect, DEA-registered practitioners may issue prescriptions for buprenorphine and other controlled substances to patients for whom they have not conducted an in-person medical evaluation, provided all of the following conditions are met:
· The prescription is issued for a legitimate medical purpose by a practitioner acting in the usual course of his/her professional practice
· The telemedicine communication is conducted using an audio-visual, real-time, two-way interactive communication system.
· The practitioner is acting in accordance with applicable Federal and State law.
Resources for Physicians:
Resources for Patients and the Public:
Resources for Families
AOAAM COVID - 19 Page
AOAAM Online CME
Non-members interested in CME must create a profile with AOAAM. Subscribe now or Join Us to receive the full benefits of membership.
The 8-hour Buprenorphine Training
Mission Statement
The mission of the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine is to improve the health of individuals and families burdened with the disease of addiction.
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