MATE Act Discussions
The Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2021 is a law passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, focused on training for prescribers of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment drugs and requires health care providers, including dentists, to complete a one-time training on managing patients with SUDs as a condition of receiving or renewing a registration to prescribe controlled substances. This required training must be provided or offered by an explicitly listed organization or an organization that falls into a specific category, however many organizations that already provide this type of training were not listed. The AGD has been actively working to become included as an approved training provider and we will continue to keep the membership apprised of our rigorous efforts, described below.
Impact on General Dentistry: In May, many AGD volunteer leaders held successful meetings with Members of Congress on this issue as part of the organization's fly-in. We have also met with the SAMHSA but unfortunately the agency has refused to execute the law as written. The AGD is now actively pursuing a legislative solution. We are working with other effected organizations to orchestrate Capitol Hill outreach on this very important issue. We have met with Representative Buddy Carter, Representative Lori Trahan, and Senator Susan Collins, who were all Congressional leads on the MATE Act and our efforts have been warmly received. We have also engaged on a bipartisan basis with staff members on both the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) - the Congressional Committees with jurisdiction over the issue. As a direct result of our efforts, Representative Carter recently commented that SAMHSA is not recognizing the training of several major provider groups, including dentists, and stated that he and Representative Trahan sent a letter clarifying congressional intent of the MATE Act (footage is available at 3:20:19 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOnOaJF3BB0).
The AGD will continue our robust lobbying effort to address this critical issue. We have seen substantive results thus far and will continue to engage with the relevant stakeholders and Committees of Jurisdiction. We look forward to providing future updates to the membership on our progress.
Impact on General Dentistry: In May, many AGD volunteer leaders held successful meetings with Members of Congress on this issue as part of the organization's fly-in. We have also met with the SAMHSA but unfortunately the agency has refused to execute the law as written. The AGD is now actively pursuing a legislative solution. We are working with other effected organizations to orchestrate Capitol Hill outreach on this very important issue. We have met with Representative Buddy Carter, Representative Lori Trahan, and Senator Susan Collins, who were all Congressional leads on the MATE Act and our efforts have been warmly received. We have also engaged on a bipartisan basis with staff members on both the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) - the Congressional Committees with jurisdiction over the issue. As a direct result of our efforts, Representative Carter recently commented that SAMHSA is not recognizing the training of several major provider groups, including dentists, and stated that he and Representative Trahan sent a letter clarifying congressional intent of the MATE Act (footage is available at 3:20:19 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOnOaJF3BB0).
The AGD will continue our robust lobbying effort to address this critical issue. We have seen substantive results thus far and will continue to engage with the relevant stakeholders and Committees of Jurisdiction. We look forward to providing future updates to the membership on our progress.