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Opioid Safety – Requirements for IL

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 

Medical licensure requirements in Illinois are developed by the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (IDFPR). To view the full list of medical licensure requirements as determined by the state agency, please visit the IDFPR physician website or idfpr.illinois.gov

 

New in 2023:  Beginning February 1, 2023, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) will update the initial prescription logic used for opioids and benzodiazepines. This impacts the fee-for-service (FFS) and HealthChoice Illinois (HCI) managed care organization (MCO) plans.  For opioids, the initial fill limit will be a maximum of five days’ supply. For benzodiazepines, the initial fill limit will be a maximum of 14 days’ supply. After the initial fill, prescriptions for these drugs may be filled for a 30 days’ supply. The initial fill limit applies to participants who have not had another opioid or benzodiazepine claim within the past 60 days. Link to the full provider notice

IL AFP Course Offerings
The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians already has  Opioid Safety Courses on our YouTubeChannel that you can take today! Stay tuned for more course offerings in the coming months.

The courses include:

Please note, the above links will take you to YouTube to view the courses. In order to receive CME/Certificate, you must register via the link below the video. This is free for IAFP members and $50 for non-members.

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.

More Online Courses:

Illinois ADVANCE offers online AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ continuing education programs for Medicaid prescribers. Programs are available that prescribers may complete to meet their Illinois DEA license renewal requirement.

Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program:
Interoperability for Combating the Opioid Epidemic

Opioid Crisis:
Drug Testing in Addiction Medicine
Induction and Follow-up
Maternity Care and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)
Naloxone for the Reversal of Opioid Overdose
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
The Opioid Epidemic: Screening, Treatment, Harm Reduction, and Health Equity 

Opioid Safety Resources

Below are some opioid safety and licensure resources. For a more comprehensive and up-to-date list, click here