Initiating Medication-Assisted Therapy for OUD in Diverse Settings: Clinical Pearls for Navigating the Process

Faculty

Brian Fuehrlein, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
Director, Psychiatric Emergency Room, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, CT
Brian Fuehrlein, MD, PhD

Dr. Fuehrlein graduated from the M.D. Ph.D. program at the University of Florida in 2008, adult psychiatry residency program the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2012 and addiction psychiatry fellowship from Yale University in 2013. Dr. Fuehrlein then joined the faculty at the University of Florida where he was an Assistant Professor. He served as the director of an MS2 course on pain and addiction, the assistant MS3 psychiatry clerkship director, was on the medical school admissions committee and on the M.D. Ph.D. program executive committee. Dr. Fuehrlein then joined the Yale faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2014. He is currently the director of the psychiatric emergency room at the VA Connecticut.

Dr. Fuehrlein has a strong interest in medical student and resident education, particularly surrounding addiction psychiatry. He currently serves on the medical school admissions committee, residency recruitment committee and is the VA site representative for medical student education. He serves nationally on the ABPN MOC test writing committee and the education committee for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. In 2017 he was awarded the Irma Bland award for excellency in psychiatry resident education through the APA. In 2018 he was awarded the Clerkship Faculty Teaching Award for Outstanding Medical Student Educator and Role Model. In 2016-2017 he was nominated for and completed the Yale Medical Education Fellowship and in 2018 was selected as an Education Scholar through the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry.

Tobias Wasser, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Whiting Forensic Hospital
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
Associate Director, Yale Fellowship in Public Psychiatry, New Haven, CT
Tobias Wasser, MD

Dr. Tobias Wasser obtained his undergraduate degree in psychology at Wesleyan University in 2006 and then completed medical school at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 2010. He completed all of his psychiatry training at Yale, first the psychiatry residency program in 2014, before completing fellowships in forensic psychiatry in 2015 and then in public psychiatry in 2016. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the department and on faculty in both the Public Psychiatry and Law and Psychiatry Divisions. He is also the Associate Program Director of the Yale Fellowship in Public Psychiatry and works clinically as the Chief Medical Officer of the Whiting Forensic Hospital.

Statement of Need

The opioid abuse epidemic has resulted in an alarming increase in opioid-related overdoses and deaths; however, the severe and lethal consequences of opioid misuse is preventable with the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which is a proven, effective tool for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD).

Research has demonstrated that MAT is effective in reducing opioid use and overdoses, increasing treatment retention, diminishing risky behaviors that contribute to the transmission of HIV and hepatitis C virus, and reducing morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, access to treatment is a major issue, with a number of factors – including stigma toward MAT and those receiving it, regulations and a lack of quality standards for treatment programs, an inadequate and unevenly distributed workforce, lack of confidence/knowledge and institutional support, and the belief that patients should be able to abstain without MAT – contributing to access.

This CME Outfitters Snack features expert faculty expanding on best practices for MAT initiation particularly in diverse care settings such as the VA system, criminal justice settings, hospitals, and outpatient clinics, by examining the neurobiology of opioid addiction and the efficacy of opioid agonists and antagonists in reducing illicit opioid use.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this CME/CE activity, participants should be able to:

  • Examine the neurobiology of opioid addiction relative to the efficacy of opioid agonists and antagonists in reducing illicit opioid use.
  • Increase initiation of MAT for OUD by 25% by evaluating evidence to support its use and addressing barriers to its implementation.
  • Incorporate best practices for the use of MAT for OUD in diverse care settings, including the VA system, criminal justice settings, hospitals, and outpatient clinics.

The following learning objectives pertain only to those requesting CNE or CPE credit:

  • Examine the neurobiology of opioid addiction relative to the efficacy of opioid agonists and antagonists in reducing illicit opioid use.
  • Describe the evidence to support initiation of MAT and barriers to its increased implementation.
  • Summarize best practices for the use of MAT for OUD in diverse care settings, including the VA system, criminal justice settings, hospitals, and outpatient clinics.

Financial Support

Supported by an educational grant from Indivior Inc.

Target Audience

Addiction specialists, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, treatment counselors, medical students, and other members of the addiction care team.

Credit Information

Physicians (ACCME) 1.0

CME Outfitters, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Pharmacists/Pharmacy Tech (ACPE) 1.0

This application-based activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour (0.10 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy credit.
Activity UAN: 0376-0000-19-046-H01-P

ABIM MOC

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC point in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

MIPS Improvement Activity

This activity counts towards MIPS Improvement Activity requirements under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Clinicians should submit their improvement activities by attestation via the CMS Quality Payment Program website.

Note to PAs

AAPA accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit  from organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

Note to Nurse Practitioners

Nurse Practitioners can apply for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). AANP will accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit  from organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Nurse practitioners can also apply for credit through their state boards.

Disclosure Declaration

It is the policy of CME Outfitters, LLC, to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of their CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, or with the commercial supporter of this CE activity. CME Outfitters, LLC, has evaluated, identified, and attempted to resolve any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process. The following information is for participant information only. It is not assumed that these relationships will have a negative impact on the presentations.


Dr. Fuehrlein reports that he is a consultant for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.


Dr. Wasser has no disclosures to report.


  • Tony Graham, MD (peer reviewer) has no disclosures to report.
  • Kashemi D. Rorie, PhD (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.
  • Evan Luberger (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.
  • Jan Perez (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.
  • Sharon Tordoff (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.

Faculty of this CE activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. The faculty have been informed of their responsibility to disclose to the audience if they will be discussing off-label or investigational uses (any uses not approved by the FDA) of products or devices.

Obtaining Credit

Post-tests, credit request forms, and activity evaluations must be completed online (requires free account activation), and participants can print their certificate or statement of credit immediately (75% pass rate required). This website supports all browsers except Internet Explorer for Mac. For complete technical requirements and privacy policy, visit our Privacy & Confidentiality page.

 


NOTE: Pharmacist CE Universal Activity Number, Enduring: 0376-0000-19-046-H01-P.

Questions about this activity?

Call us at 877.CME.PROS (877.263.7767).

SN-116-090919-59

Initiating Medication-Assisted Therapy for OUD in Diverse Settings: Clinical Pearls for Navigating the Process
Event Date: 09/09/2019