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Practitioner:

Behavioral Health Providers: Number of Nurse Practitioners Prescribing Buprenorphine

Behavioral health providers and peer support specialists serve people who seek help for a variety of mental health and substance use needs, in settings from prevention programs to community-based and inpatient treatment programs. Many types of behavioral health providers and peer support specialists exist to serve a variety of patients.

The links to the right lead to maps showing a comparison of all states and territories for the following five policy areas:

1) addiction counselor credentialing
2) licensed professional counselors’ ability to diagnose
3) authority for nurse practitioners to prescribe buprenorphine-containing products after receiving a waiver from the federal Controlled Substance Act’s special registration requirements
4) authority for physician assistants to prescribe buprenorphine-containing products after receiving a waiver from the federal Controlled Substance Act’s special registration requirements
5) peer support specialist certification

Behavioral Health Providers:
Number of Nurse Practitioners Prescribing Buprenorphine

Source: SAMHSA

Mobile users can use this dropdown of states if the map is too small.

LEGEND

  • 301-400 NPs prescribing buprenorphine-containing products
  • 201-300 NPs prescribing buprenorphine-containing products
  • 101-200 NPs prescribing buprenorphine-containing products
  • 1-100 NPs prescribing buprenorphine-containing products
  • 0 NPs prescribing buprenorphine-containing-products

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including opioid treatment programs, combines behavioral therapy and medications to treat substance use disorders. MAT is the use of FDA-approved medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a “whole-patient” approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. Some states are exploring changes to scope of practice policies to enable greater access to MAT, including the use of buprenorphine-containing products.

Buprenorphine is used as part of MAT for opioid addiction and treats opioid dependence and addiction by diminishing withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Federal laws and regulations provide a framework for medication-assisted treatment on which states may build and implement additional laws and regulations. State law related to nurse practitioners (NPs) practice authority affects the ability of NPs to prescribe buprenorphine-containing products under the federal framework.

Under current federal law, physicians, NPs may receive a waiver from the Controlled Substance Act’s special registration requirement and prescribe and dispense buprenorphine-containing products for treating opioid use disorder (OUD) if the NP is authorized under state law:

  • To prescribe Schedule III, IV or V controlled substances.
  • Has proper training or experience to treat and manage patients with OUD.
  • Unless authorized to practice independently, practices under the supervision of in collaboration with a physician who is certified, trained or permitted to treat and manage patients with OUD.

There may be instances where an NP in a state has received a waiver to prescribe buprenorphine-containing products, yet the NP’s scope of practice may not allow them to prescribe the MAT. For more information on states requiring supervision or collaboration requirements, please see the nurse practitioner practice authority map page.

The map above shows the number of nurse practitioners who have obtained a waiver from the federal government to prescribe buprenorphine-containing products as of August 2018 and is based on SAMHSA’s Buprenorphine Treatment Practitioner Locator.

Policy areas for Behavioral Health Providers

Education Required for Addiction Counselor Credentialing

Number of Physician Assistants Prescribing Buprenorphine

Number of Nurse Practitioners Prescribing Buprenorphine

Licensed Professional Counselor Ability to Diagnose

Peer Support Specialist Certification or Credentialing Authority


Practitioner Scope of Practice

  • Behavioral Health Providers
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Oral Health Providers
  • Pharmacists
  • Physician Assistants

Behavioral Health Providers Overview

Learn More About Behavioral Health Providers

For More Information

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Acknowledgement and Disclaimer: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under UD3OA22893, National Organizations for State and Local Officials. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. government.

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