The "MATE Improvement Act" expands the list of organizations and medical fields that can develop or accredit pain management and addiction treatment training programs for prescribers of controlled substances.
Michael Bennet
Senator
CO
The MATE Improvement Act expands the list of organizations that can develop or accredit pain management and addiction treatment training programs for physicians and other healthcare practitioners who prescribe controlled substances. It also adds podiatric medicine and accredited schools of pharmacy to the list of medical fields and institutions whose graduates must complete such training. These changes are retroactive to December 29, 2022, the original enactment date of the MATE Act.
New Bill Expands Training Options and Requirements for Prescribing Controlled Substances
This bill, the "MATE Improvement Act," updates the rules around mandatory training for healthcare professionals who prescribe controlled substances like certain pain medications. It amends Section 303 of the Controlled Substances Act, essentially broadening the list of professional groups who can create or approve the required training courses on pain management and addiction.
More Hands on Deck for Training
So, who gets added to the list of approved trainers and accreditors? The bill brings in several major players. For physician training, it adds groups like the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Podiatric Medical Association. For other practitioners, like pharmacists and nurses, it includes the American Pharmacists Association and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, among others. Think of it like expanding the number of certified instructors for a crucial skill – the idea is to make approved training more widely available and potentially incorporate diverse professional perspectives.
Who Needs the Extra Schooling?
Beyond who can provide the training, the bill also expands who needs to take it. Specifically, it adds graduates of podiatric medicine (foot doctors) and accredited schools of pharmacy to the list of healthcare professionals required to complete this specialized training before they can prescribe controlled substances. This means future podiatrists and pharmacists will need to meet these educational requirements, ensuring they have foundational knowledge in safe prescribing and addiction management right out of school.
What's the Real-World Ripple Effect?
The goal here seems straightforward: get more prescribers properly trained on handling controlled substances safely and effectively. By widening the pool of training providers and adding more professions to the mandatory training list, the bill aims to bolster the knowledge base of those handling these potent medications. This could lead to better-informed prescribing decisions and potentially improve patient safety and access to appropriate care. It's worth noting these changes are effective retroactively, as if they were enacted back on December 29, 2022.