A2295

An Act concerning treatment for substance use disorders and supplementing Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The State Board of Medical Examiners shall prescribe the following requirements for physician training, by regulation, in consultation with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education:

a. The curriculum in each college of medicine in this State shall include instruction in the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients that meets the minimum training requirements established pursuant to federal law for physicians to be authorized to prescribe narcotic drugs that are Schedule III, IV, or V controlled dangerous substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment, which instruction shall be developed in consultation with the Association of American Medical Colleges or another nationally recognized organization which reviews medical school curricula.

b. Completion of instruction as provided in subsection a. of this section shall be required as a condition of receiving a diploma from a college of medicine in this State.

c. A college of medicine that includes instruction in the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients as provided in subsection a. of this section in its curricula shall offer, for continuing education credit, training in the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients which is provided through classroom instruction, workshops, or other educational programs sponsored by the college and which meets criteria established by the board consistent with the instruction developed pursuant to subsection a. of this section.

d. A person who received a diploma from a college of medicine in this State prior to the effective date of this act, who was not required to receive and did not receive instruction in the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients as part of a medical school curriculum, shall be required as a condition of relicensure by the board, to document completion of training in the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients which is offered pursuant to subsection c. of this section to the satisfaction of the board. The training required by this subsection may be used to satisfy part of the continuing medical education credits required pursuant to section 10 of P.L.2001, c.307 (C.45:9-7.1).

e. A physician licensed to practice medicine in this State prior to the effective date of this act, who was not required to receive and did not receive instruction in the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients as part of a medical school curriculum, shall be required, as a condition of relicensure, to document completion of training in the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients which is offered pursuant to subsection c. of this section to the satisfaction of the board no later than three years after the effective date of this act. The training required pursuant to this subsection may be used to satisfy part of the continuing medical education credits required pursuant to section 10 of P.L.2001, c.307 (C.45:9-7.1).

f. The board may waive the requirement in subsection d. or e. of this section if an applicant for relicensure demonstrates to the satisfaction of the board that the applicant has attained the substantial equivalent of this requirement through completion of a similar course in the applicant’s post-secondary education that meets criteria established by regulation of the board.

2. The State Board of Medical Examiners, in consultation with the Commissioners of Health and Human Services, shall develop a program to promote the use of medication-assisted treatment. At a minimum, the program shall:

a. Include an education and outreach campaign to improve physician awareness of the availability of medication-assisted treatment for the treatment of substance use disorders, provide information and resources concerning the training and federal waiver requirements to become authorized to prescribe and administer narcotic drugs that are Schedule III, IV, or V controlled dangerous substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment, and advise physicians of the availability of support services provided pursuant to subsection c. of this section;

b. Study and implement initiatives to encourage physicians and other authorized health care providers in the State to obtain federal authorization to prescribe narcotic drugs that are Schedule III, IV, or V controlled dangerous substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment;

c. Provide technical assistance and additional training to physicians seeking to use medication-assisted treatment to treat individuals with substance use disorders but who require or request additional support in the use of medication-assisted treatment, which support and assistance may include the use of telehealth and telemedicine to provide remote consultations with addiction medicine specialists; and

d. Provide outreach and support services to other health care professionals, including, but not limited to, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and certified nurse midwives, who seek to provide medication assisted treatment, including prescribing narcotic drugs that are Schedule III, IV, or V controlled dangerous substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment.

3. The Board of Medical Examiners may, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this act.

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires physicians to complete certain training required to become authorized to prescribe certain forms of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and requires the State Board of Medical Examiners (BME) to develop a program to promote the use of MAT.

Specifically, the BME is to require that the curriculum in each medical school in the State include instruction in the treatment and management of opiate-dependent patients that meets the minimum training requirements established pursuant to federal law for physicians to be authorized to prescribe narcotic drugs that are Schedule III, IV, or V controlled dangerous substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment. Completing this instruction will be a requirement for receiving a diploma from a medical school in New Jersey. Medical schools will additionally be required to offer this instruction as continuing education credit, and physicians who did not complete the training in medical school will be required to complete the continuing education training as a condition for renewal of their professional license. The training may count toward satisfaction of the physician’s total continuing medical education credit requirements.

Additionally, the BME, in consultation with the Commissioners of Health and Human Services, will be required to develop a program to promote the use of MAT. The program is to include an education and outreach campaign to improve physician awareness of the availability of MAT, provide information and resources concerning the training and federal waiver requirements to become authorized to prescribe and administer certain forms of MAT, and advise physicians of the availability of MAT support services. In addition, the program is to study and implement initiatives to encourage physicians and other authorized health care providers in the State to obtain federal authorization to prescribe narcotic drugs that are Schedule III, IV, or V controlled dangerous substances for maintenance or detoxification treatment. The program will also include technical assistance and additional training to physicians seeking to provide MAT, which support and assistance may include the use of telehealth and telemedicine to provide remote consultations with addiction medicine specialists. Finally, the program is to provide outreach and support services to other health care professionals, including, but not limited to, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and certified nurse midwives, who seek to provide MAT.