DEA number

A DEA number (DEA Registration Number) is a number assigned to a health care provider (such as a medical practitioner, pharmacist, dentist, or veterinarian) by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration allowing them to write prescriptions for controlled substances. Legally, the DEA number is solely to be used for tracking controlled substances. It is often used by the industry, however, as a general "prescriber number" that is a unique identifier for anyone who can prescribe medication.

A valid DEA number consists of:

2 letters, 6 numbers, & 1 check digit
The first letter is a code identifying the type of registrant (see below)
The second letter is the first letter of the registrant's last name

(For registrants using a business address instead of name a "9" is also allowed in this field- see below)

Of the seven digits that follow, the seventh digit is a "checksum" that is calculated as:
- Add together the first, third and fifth digits call this CALC_1,3,5
- Add together the second, fourth and sixth digits and multiply the sum by 2, call this CALC_2,4,6
- Add CALC_1,3,5 + CALC_2,4,6 call this CHECK
- The rightmost digit of CHECK (the digit in the ones place) is used as the check digit in the DEA number

Registrant type (first letter of DEA Number):

A – Deprecated (used by some older entities)
B – Hospital/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 – Narcotic Treatment Program
R – Narcotic Treatment Program
S – Narcotic Treatment Program
T – Narcotic Treatment Program
U – Narcotic Treatment Program
X – Suboxone/Subutex Prescribing Program

^[1] **UPDATED 03/08/2016**

For registrants using a business address instead of name example 123 Main Street Clinic , the DEA# would look like F91234567

Prior to October 1, 1985, DEA registration numbers for physicians, dentists, veterinarians, and other practitioners started with the letter A. New registration numbers issued to practitioners after that date begin with the letter B, F, or G. ^[2]

Per US DOJ:^[3] "Due to the large Type A (Practitioner) registrant population, the initial alpha letter "B" has been exhausted. DEA will begin using the new alpha letter "F" as the initial character for all new registration for Type A (Practitioner) registrations."

References

External links

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