Prescription Drugs

Prescription Monitoring Program

July 10, 2019

The prescription monitoring program (PMP) is an important tool for physicians and pharmacists to deter some forms of “doctor shopping” for the illegal or inappropriate use of prescription drugs. TOA worked with lawmakers in the 2019 Texas Legislature to: Secure funding for the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSPB) to acquire licenses so that the…

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TOA Supports HB 3284 

June 5, 2019

The Texas Orthopaedic Association (TOA) recently offered its support for HB 3284, which passed out of the 2019 Texas Legislature. The bill, which is authored by Rep. JD Sheffield, DO and Sen. Jane Nelson, would delay the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) mandate by several months to ensure that physicians’ electronic health record (EHR) programs…

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TOA Asks Lawmakers to Fund the Prescription Monitoring Program Licenses

January 23, 2019

The Texas Orthopaedic Association (TOA) is encouraging Texas lawmakers rely on the Legislature’s supplemental funding package to fund the Texas State Board of Pharmacy’s request to acquire physician licenses to access the prescription monitoring program (PMP) database. The September 1, 2019 mandate for physicians to check the PMP is seven months away, and it is…

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Texas Legislature’s Committee Releases Prescription Monitoring Program Recommendations

December 19, 2018

The Texas Legislature created a joint committee of the two bodies following the 2017 Legislature to address the future of the state’s September 1, 2019 mandate for physicians to check the state’s prescription monitoring program (PMP) before prescribing certain drugs. The committee, which is co-chaired by Senator Charles Schwertner, MD (R-Georgetown) and Representative JD Sheffield,…

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TMB Pain Clinic Rule Could Unintentionally Include Orthopaedists

December 6, 2017

The Texas Medical Board (TMB) released a proposed rule in November 2017 to identify physicians who have failed to properly register as a pain clinic.  Unfortunately, as written, the proposed rule could unintentionally include orthopaedic surgeons in the pain clinic registration, despite the fact that orthopaedic surgeons are not operating as pain clinics. TOA will…

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