Buprenorphine Implementation Toolkit

The DATA 2000 Waiver Requirement

For many physicians, finding the time to complete the required training is an obstacle to becoming a buprenorphine prescriber

Buprenorphine is only available by prescription from a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant who has completed eight hours of training to obtain the DATA (Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000) Waiver.

With the waiver, physicians can treat up to 30 patients during the first year, and 100 thereafter. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services increased the cap so that doctors currently allowed to treat up to 100 patients can obtain an additional waiver to treat as many as 275 patients.

See SAMHSA: Buprenorphine Waiver Management

Approved trainings are designed to fit physicians’ schedules

Approved buprenorphine waiver training for physicians is available through

To accommodate physicians’ schedules, these trainings are offered in a variety of self-paced and live formats.

For complete information on buprenorphine training for physicians, visit:

SAMHSA, Buprenorphine Training for Physicians