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Exciting Changes to PCSS MAT Waiver Trainings!
Two new MAT Waiver Training Options for Emergency Physicians
PCSS now offers two options specifically created for emergency physicians who want to obtain a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine, one of three FDA-approved medications used to treat opioid use disorder. Emergency physicians are on the front line of the opioid healthcare crisis, and to address this, PCSS, in coordination with the American College of Emergency Physicians, is urging all emergency physicians to obtain a waiver, also known as the X-waiver.

Option 1: Request a live or virtual eight-hour training for your organization. PCSS will resume live, in-person trainings following mitigation of COVID-19. Contact [email protected] for more information or request a training.
Option 2: Request a Half and Half training. This format includes a live in-person or virtual component for four hours, followed by four hours of self-paced, online learning. The live or virtual portion allows for interaction between participants and the speaker, and once completed, participants will receive a link to complete the training via self-paced online learning. Contact PCSS for more information or to request a training.
MAT Waiver Training for APRNs Updated
PCSS has updated its waiver training for Advanced Practice Registerd Nurses (APRN)! APRNs are required to take an eight-hour waiver course and an additional 16 hours of training. The 16-hour portion now includes audio recordings. PCSS has also made updates to its eight-hour MAT waiver trainings. The following nurses are eligible to take the waiver training to prescribe burprenophine for the treatment of opioid use disorder: NP, CNM, CNS and CRNA.

For more information about all of PCSS's waiver trainings, go to www.pcssNOW.org.
MAT Waiver Training for Medical Students
Medical students who wish to apply for a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder can take the course now and apply for their waiver when they obtain their full DEA license. Note: If you have already taken the 8-hour course, you do not have to take this course.

PCSS, in coordination with NC Governor's Institute, created a medical student version of the MAT waiver course that all schools can use at no cost.
COVID-19 Resources and Trainings
Upcoming Special Covid-19
Clinical Roundtables
May 7 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm* How COVID-19 Impacts Clinical Practice
May 13 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Rural MOUD and Home Induction

Credit Designations Available: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, and Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit.

* All times are EDT

See a list of all Clinical Roundtables.
Find more COVID-19 Resources here .
PCSS Trainings
American Society for Pain Management Nursing Webinars

Managing Pain in the Setting of Co-morbid
Substance Use Disorder
Date: May 13, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Presenter: Kathleen Broglio, DNP, ANP-BC, ACHPN, CPE, FPCN, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Nurse Practitioner in Palliative Medicine, and a Scholar at the Collaboratory for Implementation Sciences at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Target Audience: Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physicians and registered nurses involved in acute or ambulatory pain management.

About the webinar:The purpose of this session is to provide guidance to improve clinical management of acute and chronic pain in individuals with substance use disorder.

Clinicians are challenged daily with managing both acute and chronic pain in individuals with substance use disorder. The presenters will describe the challenges and opportunities to manage pain in this population both in the acute care environment and in the ambulatory environment.  [Learn more]

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS):
Bridging the Gaps In Multimodal Analgesia

Date: May 27, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Presenter: Laura Habighorst, BSN, RN, CAPA, CGRN, Surgical Services Clinical Nurse Educator, North Kansas City Hospital (NKCH)
Target Audience: Physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers

About the webinar:This webinar is applicable for all those working in surgical environments (including RNs, CRNAs, and physicians) and med-surg units. The focus is on the implementation of ERAS, multimodal analgesia, quality improvement and case study.

National Judicial College
Medications for Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders 101:
The Science of Medication Treatment
Date: June 9, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Presenter: Laura Habighorst, BSN, RN, CAPA, CGRN, Surgical Services Clinical Nurse Educator, North Kansas City Hospital (NKCH)
Target audience: This webcast was developed for judges—whether presiding over state, municipal, general jurisdiction, treatment/specialty courts and/or whether they are law trained or not.

About the webinar:Alcohol and drug use disorders are associated with criminal behavior, arrest, and incarceration. Effective treatments are needed to reduce the burden of alcohol and drug use disorders on public safety and on the public health. Fortunately, there are three medications (antabuse, acamprosate, and naltrexone) that are FDA-approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence and three medications (methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone) that are approved for the treatment of opiate dependence.  [Learn more]
The Following Webinar Recordings are Now Available:

Recovery Oriented Systems of Care 101 for Prescribers (National Council for Behavioral Health webinar from March 31))

Telemedicine-Delivered Buprenorphine Treatment in the Age of COVID-19 (American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry webinar from April 2)

News and Publications
CMS Issues Second Round of Sweeping Changes to Support U.S. Healthcare System During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today issued another round of sweeping regulatory waivers and rule changes to deliver expanded care to the nation’s seniors and provide flexibility to the healthcare system as America reopens. Included in the changes, CMS previously announced that Medicare would pay for certain services conducted by audio-only telephone between beneficiaries and their doctors and other clinicians. Now, CMS is broadening that list to include many behavioral health and patient education services.
[ Read more ]

Washington Post

The New England Journal of Medicine

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Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 1H79TI081968 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.