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DO and MD supervising physicians


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Looking for anyone who has encountered this scenario and might be able to help me...

I'm a recent grad and will be starting 2 part time jobs in the fall, one under a DO and one under an MD. Because of this, I'm assuming I need 2 licenses (one from the osteopathic board and one from the medical board). What about my DEA number? I'm in the process of registering, but they only leave room for one license number.  I don't think their customer service people understand the question I'm asking, so I'm hoping someone here knows.

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Might want to share what state you are in so you get relevant advice. They all have their own unique rules.

Your state has a separate board for MDs and DOs? That defies belief.  Is there a PA board or are licenses issued by the medical board? 

As for the DEA they used to have a form for adding multiple physicians and locations. It was a separate form that put that information in their registry but only one name and address appeared on the actual certificate. I haven't been in that position for a while so my advice may be outdated.

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I am in Pennsylvania as well.  You do indeed need to be licensed with the Board of Medicine if your CP is an MD, and licensed with the Osteopathic Board of medicine if your CP is a DO.  I have only one DEA for the state, however, and this has never been an issue.  I did not hold jobs with different physicians concurrently, as you apparently are doing. 

Hope this helps.  It is a bit of an antiquated system, I agree.

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2 hours ago, Avalon said:

I am in Pennsylvania as well.  You do indeed need to be licensed with the Board of Medicine if your CP is an MD, and licensed with the Osteopathic Board of medicine if your CP is a DO.  I have only one DEA for the state, however, and this has never been an issue.  I did not hold jobs with different physicians concurrently, as you apparently are doing. 

Hope this helps.  It is a bit of an antiquated system, I agree.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you at any point work for a DO and have your DEA under your medical license (or the other way around)?

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In Washington I have 2 licenses as well - DO and MD have separate boards. Only one DEA though and useful for both licenses.

The separation of boards is a pain in the arse and costs twice as much. No chance they will ever cooperate and they have different rules on cosigning percentages of charts etc.

Immensely a pain but I have to deal with it.

I have friends with licenses in 2 states but only one DEA. I like it that way. One number, one track, one paper trail.

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43 minutes ago, Reality Check 2 said:

In Washington I have 2 licenses as well - DO and MD have separate boards. Only one DEA though and useful for both licenses.

The separation of boards is a pain in the arse and costs twice as much. No chance they will ever cooperate and they have different rules on cosigning percentages of charts etc.

Immensely a pain but I have to deal with it.

I have friends with licenses in 2 states but only one DEA. I like it that way. One number, one track, one paper trail.

Thanks! Which license do you use for registering with the DEA?

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1 hour ago, RTtoPA said:

Thanks! Which license do you use for registering with the DEA?

I register whomever I work for - whomever is my current SP on record at the state for that job.

If I work 2 jobs, I have 2 practice plans, 2 different licenses - STILL one DEA and just written down on everything. The DEA tracks me -NOT MY LICENSE, regardless of state. 

Just use whatever license your primary job uses. All insurance credentialing will use your license, NPI and only your DEA in a cursory manner.

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RTtoPA,

Yes, I did work under a DO with my DEA and all I did was notify them of the change.  But again, this was not a concurrent job.

By the way, in response to RC2's comment, DEA is actually state specific.  I was required to get a second DEA to practice in a neighboring state in which I also hold a license.  Since the DEA is a federal program, I thought this was crazy (and expensive, at $770).

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I spoke with someone in the Philadelphia office of DEA to try to get some sort of confirmation, and- in case anyone searches this question- here is what they had to say:

As long as I am in only ONE state and only prescribing (not administering or dispensing), I can use one DEA number and apply for that with the license of the practice I will be with most often.

I appreciate the help you guys had to offer!

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It is common practice to have just one DEA number...However, if you are at sites where you store, administer, or dispense controlled substances then you need two licenses.  Also, if you are practicing in different states prescribing controlled substances from each practice then you need two different DEA numbers as you are practicing under two different licenses.  If you stop practicing in one state and start in another, then you can change your address on your DEA license and keep the same number. 

Per the DEA website:

Question: Are separate registrations required for separate locations?

Answer: A separate registration is required for each principal place of business or professional practice where controlled substances are stored, administered, or dispensed by a person. If a practitioner will only be prescribing from another location(s) situated within the same state, then an additional registration is not necessary.

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/faq.htm#4

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3 hours ago, dizzyjon said:

It is common practice to have just one DEA number...However, if you are at sites where you store, administer, or dispense controlled substances then you need two licenses.  Also, if you are practicing in different states prescribing controlled substances from each practice then you need two different DEA numbers as you are practicing under two different licenses.  If you stop practicing in one state and start in another, then you can change your address on your DEA license and keep the same number. 

Per the DEA website:

Question: Are separate registrations required for separate locations?

Answer: A separate registration is required for each principal place of business or professional practice where controlled substances are stored, administered, or dispensed by a person. If a practitioner will only be prescribing from another location(s) situated within the same state, then an additional registration is not necessary.

https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/faq.htm#4

Thanks- I knew the two locations weren't a problem, but I wasn't sure about the osteopathic vs. medical licenses... I didn't realize that not every state has separate boards for those.

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PA license stuff:  If you have a supervising physician who is a DO and a supervising physician who is an MD and they do not work together like in the ED, then you need to be licensed with both the allopathic and osteopathic board.  If the 2 docs are partners who work in different locations, then you only need to be licensed in one board and the other doc can still be a secondary supervisor.  Regardless, you only need one DEA number but you will need to submit that same DEA license to both boards because the state will not authorize your DEA license until the doc has verified they are supervising you.  If you are licensed by both boards, then you need to do the process twice.  If you work in the ED or with 2 docs who are partners and can get away with one license, it makes things much easier.   This is a pretty crummy state to be a PA in; I don't recommend. 

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