Opioid Safety – New Requirements for 2020  

Beginning in 2020, Illinois physicians are required to take three hours of Continuing Medical Education specifically on safe opioid prescribing practices.  These three hours count towards the 150 CME hours necessary for your license renewal. The three hours must be offered or accredited by a professional association (such as IAFP!), state government agency, or federal agency. 

While you will not be required to submit any documentation proving that you have completed the required three hours of opioid safety, you should keep your records in the event of an audit.  Should you be audited, all that you would need would be a copy of a CME certificate that states the course name, date taken, name of the accredited provider, and your name.

Click here, for complete information on license renewal requirements for the state of Illinois

IL AFP Course Offerings
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians already has many, 1-hour online courses on opioid safety that you can take today and more planned for the future!

The courses include:

Presented by Thomas Huggett, MD, MPH, Family Physician and Medical Director – Mobile Health Lawndale Christian Health Center Chicago and Gagandeep Goyal, MD, Medical Director, Addiction Wellness Services
 
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in Solo/Small Group Practice
Presented by Mary C. “Molly” Rutherford, MD, MPH, FAAFP, FASAM, Founder/CEO, Bluegrass Family Wellness, PLLC
 
Opioid Safety in Primary Care
Presented by William Campbell, DO, Chair, IAFP Opioid Safety Workgroup, Campbell Health Solutions, SC, Tinley Park, IL

To complete these courses, please login to https://iafp.mclms.net/en/ Your username and password is the same as your IAFP login.  If this is your first time visiting our education website, you will need to register and create a account.  

The IAFP is committed to helping our members not only complete the new requirements, but also have the most up-to-date education on opioid safety to increase physician knowledge, improve best practices, and best help patients. Stay tuned for additional learning opportunities.

Opioid Safety Resources

Below are some opioid safety and licensure resources. For a more comprehensive and up-to-date list, visit iafp.com/opioid-safety and iafp.com/safe-prescriber. 

• The Illinois Action Plan – Educate yourself on the State of Illinois’ collective call to action as we confront the deadliest drug crisis in our nation’s history.
• CME Requirements on Opioid Prescribing – Visit the University of Chicago’s listing of additional CME courses on this topic (as well as the 1-hour sexual harassment requirement)!
• Medical Licensure and CME Information – Need a refresher about medical licensure requirements? Visit the Illinois State Medical Society’s webpage.
• IAFP’s Resources for Opioid Prescribers – Visit IAFP’s opioid-specific webpage for a comprehensive list of links and information.
• IAFP’s Safe Prescriber Program – Interested in becoming an IAFP Safe Prescriber? Visit this webpage to learn how!