Can a Physician Assistant (PA) obtain a DATA waiver?

A Physician Assistant (PA) can indeed obtain a DATA waiver, which allows them to prescribe certain controlled substances for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). In the context of the question, the correct answer states that a PA can obtain this waiver for a maximum of 30 patients. This aligns with the regulations put forth under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA), which allows qualified practitioners, including PAs, to treat patients with approved medications for OUD under specific conditions.

This limitation to 30 patients reflects the structured approach to handling opioid prescriptions, aimed at balancing access to treatment while ensuring patient safety and proper management of controlled substances. PAs require appropriate training to manage such cases, which underscores the importance of education and competencies in treating substance use disorders.

In this scenario, other options would misconstrue the regulations in various ways, such as implying no restrictions on the number of patients or suggesting that a PA cannot obtain a waiver at all, which would be inaccurate in the context of current laws and regulations.