Duke Hospital Medicine sponsored a special training last week for physicians to get their "DATA 2000 waiver". Such certification allows clinicians to prescribe buprenorphine which is used to treat opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine has a much lower risk of overdose compared to methadone but previously was limited to treatment programs only.
It was the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) of 2000 that expanded prescribing permission to qualified physicians, and more recently to advanced practice providers. DATA 2000 also reduces some of the regulatory burden on physicians. (Pictured right: instructors James Finch and Stephen Wyatt with other leadership, Drs. Greenblatt, Patkar, and Clifton).
Twenty-nine physicians showed up for the training on Friday, March 8, 20129. These participants included several members from DGIM, also residents, others from the ED, Duke Primary Care Family Medicine, the Department of Family Medicine, Psychiatry, and one from UNC.
We have never done anything like this and I am both thrilled and very proud of my colleagues for taking this step toward fighting the opioid crisis.
Larry Greenblatt, MD, professor of medicine (general internal medicine), a Duke leader in opioid safety
One of the trainers was Dr. Jim Finch, a local addictions expert and practitioner. Dr. Finch is Medical Director of the Governors Institute, a nonprofit resource in NC for educating professionals about treatment of substance abuse disorders. Also there was Stephen Wyatt, DO, a psychiatrist and addictions expert from Atrium Health in Charlotte. Ashwin Patkar, MD, from our Addictions program served as MC and Cindy Haynes from the Duke Population Health Management Office was the organizer. (Pictured right: Dr. Clifton and Ms. Haynes)
New Opioid Use Disorder Consult Service anticipated to improve patient health outcomes
Dana Clifton, MD (GIM) and Pooh Setji, MD (GIM) are leading a new service line whereby patients with Opioid Use Disorder admitted for infections or other complications can initiate treatment in the hospital potentially improving their experience, reducing length of stay, cutting the risk of readmission, and helping them get into long term recovery. The Opioid Use Disorder Consult service begins July 1, 2019.
Learn more from US HHS SAMHSA.