The DATA-Waiver (or X-Waiver) was originally created under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 to allow certain outpatient providers to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). To receive a waiver, clinicians had to complete formal waiver training.

On December 29, 2022, Congress eliminated the DATA-Waiver program with the signing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (Section 1263), with the following changes effective immediately:

  • DATA-Waiver registration is no longer required to prescribe buprenorphine to treat patients for OUD.
  • All buprenorphine prescriptions now only require a standard DEA number from a clinician authorized to prescribe Schedule III medication. DATA-Waiver numbers are no longer needed on the prescription.
  • There are no limits or caps on the number of patients a prescriber may treat with buprenorphine for OUD.
  • The changes defer to applicable state laws or regulations.

As a follow-up to these changes, the DEA announced new training requirements for all prescribers registering or renewing a DEA certificate went into effect on June 21, 2023. The process for DEA license registration or renewal requires all prescribers to check a box confirming they have completed at least 8 hours of training specific to management of patients with OUD.

One of the following three ways meets this requirement:

  1. Board certification in Addiction Psychiatry or Addiction Medicine by the ABMS, ABAM, or AOA.
  2. Graduation from an accredited medical residency, dental school, physician assistant, or advanced practice nursing program on or after June 27, 2018.
  3. Completion of 8 hours of training provided by an approved organization. Training only has to be completed once in a career. Prior training counts toward the requirement.

To learn more, watch this informational video from HRSA.

Training Options

If you need a training course to meet the new DEA requirements, many options are available. For example, the Providers Clinical Support System (funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the US Department of Health and Human Services) has convenient, free, in-person or remote sessions, as well as modules for self-study at your own pace. [Source: Providers Clinical Support System, Buprenorphine Training. Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) – PCSS (pcssnow.org)]

  • Live Sessions (in-person or remote): Search and register for live sessions on this interactive calendar.
  • Physicians (MD or DO): Search for all sessions (in-person, remote, or self-study) available to physicians.
  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (NP, CNM, CNS, CRNA): Search for all sessions (in-person, remote, or self-study) available to APRNs.
  • Physician Assistants (PA): Search for all sessions (in-person, remote, or self-study) available to PAs.

If you would like to view and download our educational guide that includes the information above, click here.