Pain Management Regulations Affect More Than Pain Management Specialists

The recently passed House Bill 7095 affects more than just pain management specialists.  Practitioners who prescribe controlled substances for individuals with “chronic nonmalignant pain” also are required to comply with new state regulations, including designation “as a controlled substance prescribing practitioner on the physician’s practitioner profile”“with the state Board of Medicine by January 1, 2012. What follows is a bulleted summary of the new regulations.

Prescription s for controlled substances must be either written or electronic.  Telephone prescriptions no longer are allowed.

Written Prescriptions for Controlled Substances

  • Must have quantity in textual and numerical format
  • Must be dated with the abbreviated month written out
  • Must be written on a standardized counterfeit-proof prescription pad produced by a DOH approved vendor

Physicians who prescribe any controlled substance for the treatment of “chronic nonmalignant pain” must designate him or herself as a controlled substance prescribing physician on the physician’s practitioner profile and must comply with statutory requirements and applicable board rulesContinue reading