Massachusetts Laws

Requirements for Licensure and Operations of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment

Question:

What personnel is required to be on staff for an OTP to become licensed?

Answer:
  • Medical director
  • Licensed psychiatrist
  • Licensed nurse
  • Alcohol or drug counselor
This answer is derived from 5 section of law
Citation:
  • citation 1: see full citation
    (A)    The licensee shall designate as medical director a physician who shall be responsible for administering all medical services provided by the program. The Medical Director shall have six months’ clinical experience with alcohol and other drug-dependent persons or 40 hours of documented continuing education in treating addicted persons within the first 12 months of employment. The Medical Director shall be responsible for: see full law
  • citation 2: see full citation
    Clinician - an individual with a minimum of:(1)    a master’s degree in one of the following disciplines or a closely related field: clinical psychology, education-counseling, medicine, psychology, psychiatric nursing, rehabilitative counseling, social work, and who has a minimum of one year of supervised substance abuse counseling experience; or(2)    a bachelor’s degree in any of the listed disciplines and a minimum of two years of supervised substance abuse counseling experience; or(3)    a recognized certification or licensure including 4,000 hours of clinically supervised counseling of individuals with substance use disorders including at least 220 documented hours of supervision. see full law
  • citation 3: see full citation
    (1)    Senior Clinician among direct service staff who shall be responsible for the clinical/ educational operation of the substance abuse service; see full law
  • citation 4: see full citation
    (2)    Licensed psychiatrist or licensed psychologist on staff or available through a Qualified Service Organization Agreement; see full law
  • citation 5: see full citation
    (3)    Registered nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant or licensed practical nurse on staff and on site during hours when medication is dispensed; see full law