Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers
Authors: Richard Saitz
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2020)

Letters2 June 2020Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained ProvidersRichard Saitz, MD, MPHRichard Saitz, MD, MPHBoston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine and Grayken Center for Addiction, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (R.S.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L20-0082 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Weimer and colleagues (1) state that we need more, not less, physician training in the care of OUD and that patients deserve trained providers. As an internist and addiction specialist dedicated to addiction research and the training of physicians for more than 25 years, I could not agree more. However, the question is whether a law that requires specified training to prescribe 1 class of medications for 1 indication (that is, buprenorphine for OUD) should be continued.This law has not led to widespread physician expertise or treatment access. It perpetuates a separate-but-equal status for patients with ...References1. Weimer MB, Tetrault JM, Fiellin DA. Patients with opioid use disorder deserve trained providers. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171:931-932. [PMID: 31766053]. doi:10.7326/M19-2303 LinkGoogle Scholar2. American Board of Preventive Medicine. Addiction medicine. 2019. Accessed at www.theabpm.org/become-certified/subspecialties/addiction-medicine on 6 December 2019. Google Scholar3. Pohle A. Medical schools look to educate the next generation of doctors on pain. WBUR. 28 May 2019. Accessed at www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019/05/28/medical-schools-opioid-addiction-pain-treatment on 6 December 2019. Google Scholar4. Karon A. Medical schools respond to the opioid epidemic. ACP Internist. January 2017. Accessed at https://acpinternist.org/archives/2017/01/opioids-medical-education.htm on 6 December 2019. Google Scholar5. Rich JD, Adashi EY, Ahmad J, et al. In support of residency training to address the opioid overdose epidemic. J Law Med Ethics. 2019;47:794-796. MedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine and Grayken Center for Addiction, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts (R.S.)Note: Dr. Saitz reports National Institutes of Health grants supporting training for addiction and addiction research, including on OUD. Alkermes provides medication for a National Institutes of Health–supported comparative effectiveness study of naltrexone to Boston University for which Dr. Saitz is principal investigator.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L20-0082. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoPatients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers Melissa B. Weimer , Jeanette M. Tetrault , and David A. Fiellin Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers Justin Berk , J. Deanna Wilson , James H. Miller , and Leonard Feldman Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers Melissa B. Weimer , Jeanette M. Tetrault , and David A. Fiellin Patients With Opioid Use Disorder Deserve Trained Providers Kevin Fiscella , Leo Beletsky , and Sarah E. Wakeman Metrics 2 June 2020Volume 172, Issue 11Page: 773KeywordsContinuing medical educationDisclosureHealth care qualityMedical conditionsMedical educationOpioid addictionOpioid use disorderOpioidsPatientsResidency ePublished: 2 June 2020 Issue Published: 2 June 2020 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2020 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...