2.3 DEA Registrations

DEA registrations are given to doctors and medical professionals allowing them to prescribe and administer controlled medications

Without this registration, the Controlled Substances Act enforces that medical professionals cannot legally prescribe/administer any controlled medications

DEA registrations have a specific formula: two letters and seven computer-generated numbers (six numbers + one check digit)

Letters

The first portion of the DEA number is two letters: the registrant type and the first letter of the physician’s last name

These are the registrant codes…

A	Depreciated
B	Hospital or Clinic
C	Practitioner
D	Teaching Institution
E	Manufacturer
F	Distributor
G	Researcher
H	Analytical Lab
J	Importer
K	Exporter
L	Reverse Distributor
M	Mid Level Practitioner
P, R, S, T, U	Narcotic Treatment Program
X	Suboxone Prescribing Program

So, if Dr. Smith is a practicing physician, the first two letters of his registration should be “CS”

DEA Number

To check if the DEA number is valid…

1. Add the first, third, and fifth numbers together
2. Add the second, fourth, and sixth numbers together and DOUBLE them
3. Take both sums and add them together
4. This sum’s last number should match the check digit at the end of the DEA registration

Let’s try an example, then try the following two practice problems to determine if the number is valid or not

Example

B R 6 1 9 1 3 4 9

6 + 8 + 3 = 17

2 x (1 + 1 + 4) = 12

17 + 12 = 29; the last digit is 9 so this is a valid number

Your turn! Determine if these are valid DEA registrations

Practice

Answers

If you’d like to explore more, the DEA website can be accessed here