According to the definition given by ATTUD, the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorders, a Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) is a professional who is specially trained to provide treatment for individuals seeking to stop using tobacco. Most of our students are health professionals who wish to deepen their undertanding of and skills in addressing tobacco use in their clients. Our TTS trainees come from diverse backgrounds across the continuum of healthcare--medical providers, phyician assistants, nurses, social workers, behavioral health providers, pharmacists, dental hygienists, health departments, and more. Read more about the role of a TTS here.

The Duke-UNC TTS Training Program meets all of the requirements set forth in the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence as well as the national competencies for Tobacco Treatment Specialist acknowledged by The Association for Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence (ATTUD). You can read more about the core competencies here.

Anyone is welcome to attend! Our TTS trainees come from diverse backgrounds across the continuum of healthcare--medical providers, phyician assistants, nurses, social workers, behavioral health providers, pharmacists, dental hygienists, health departments, and more. Our only prerequisite for participation in the training course is that a participant must be tobacco free for at least 6 months prior to the training. NAADAC has additional prerequisites for participants who wish to seek NCTTP (National Certificate in Tobacco Treatment Practice) status. Visit the NAADAC website for more details.

Our comprehensive TTS training course covers a wide range of topics including: population-based tobacco use data and policy history, culture, and context; evidence-based pharmacotherapeutic and behavioral interventions; treatment planning; relapse prevention; targeted skills in tobacco use disorder counseling; relapse prevention; practical guidance on running a practice; and much more. Click here to see a sample agenda of our interactive training.

Completion of the comprehensive Duke-UNC TTS training program fulfills the training requirement for participants who wish to earn national recognition as a tobacco treatment specialist.

As of 2024, two new pathways to national recognition are in process. Please visit our Certification page to learn more about these programs.

Here are direct links to the two national certification pathways available to participants who complete the Duke-UNC TTS Training Program:

• American Heart Association Tobacco Treatment Professional: https://www.heart.org/en/professional/quality-improvement/healthcare-certification

• National Certificate in Nicotine and Tobacco Treatment (NCNTT) via NAADAC: https://www.naadac.org/ncntt

In support of improving patient care, Duke University Health System Clinical Education & Professional Development is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Participants who complete the comprehensive TTS training and register through Duke Continuing Education and Professional Development (CEPD) will receive up to 30 hours of CE. CE credits are applicable to physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, social workers, nurses, educators, and others.

Please Note: Licensure requirements vary by profession and state. We always recommend that you inquire with your own licensing board BEFORE completing the course If you have questions about whether our credit will be accepted.

Participants will receive instructions to receive their CE credit at the conclusion of the TTS course.

Course Fees: The Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program cost is $1,350. This fee includes online access to the TTS course portal (for access to self-paced course content), 4 virtual (synchronous) course sessions, a comprehensive training manual, and application and CME processing fees. There are additional fees due for individuals wishing to become certified; please see our Certification page for more information on national certification as a tobacco treatment professional.

Partial Scholarships: We offer partial scholarships to participants who work in a setting that targets underserved or vulnerable populations (e.g. a community health center, health department, behavioral health facility, AHEC, etc.) AND commit to supporting or providing tobacco treatment services to clients in such settings. These scholarships are also available for full time students pursuing a degree in a public, behavioral, or medical healthcare-related field. These $300 scholarships reduce the tuition to $1,050. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will indicate that during the registration process, describe your eligibility, and the scholarship discount will be applied to your total before you complete payment. Please contact us regarding scholarships if you have questions.

Early Bird Discount: Register early to receive a $150 tuition discount off full tuition. Deadlines vary by training. The Early Bird discount is not applicable for participants who receive a partial scholarship for TTS course fees. The Early Bird discount is not available for CE Short Courses.

Please visit this page to view instructions on how to claim your CE credit certificate.

Can I Bill for a Tobacco Cessation Visit?

This is a common question for tobacco treatment professionals. The rules around billing are complex, dictated by location, and frequently changing. Billing and being reimbursed for services start with answering these three questions:

• What insurance are you trying to bill? The first thing to evaluate is what insurance company covers the person you are trying to see. Every insurance has different rules for settings and providers they reimburse.

• Where will you see this person? Defining your setting – medical outpatient, skilled nursing facility, in the individual’s home, behavioral health group, pharmacy – will guide you to look at the right rules and set of codes.

• What type of provider or clinician will see this person? Different provider types and specialties use different codes. As an example, physicians and other medical professionals use codes called Current Procedural Terminology, which are billed to medical payors, while dentists use Current Dental Terminology, which are billed to dental payors. Some specialties, like psychiatry, may also have specialized codes.

Once you know the answer to these three questions, you can start to determine the billing strategy that makes sense for your population, your setting, and your professional type.

I am certified as a tobacco treatment specialist through NAADAC or the American Heart Association. Is that enough to start billing?

Unfortunately, this is not usually enough to bill as an independent provider.

However, some insurance types may cover incident-to billing in the outpatient medical setting. This means a non-physician provider bills for the services as if they are the physician. To learn more about the requirements for billing incident-to, consult with the payor directly.

What if I have a different license type and already bill for services?

If you have a different license type, you can often use the tobacco cessation codes or the kinds of codes you are already using or add on a code to capture the extra time spent offering counseling.

How can I learn more?

The following strategies can be helpful in determining a billing plan.

• Consulting with your institution’s coding and compliance teams to review documentation and billing practices

• Staying connected with your state’s tobacco prevention and control branch for updates on Medicaid and other state-level changes

• Connecting with other tobacco treatment professionals at other institutions