TDI-Division of Workers' Compensation Plan-Based Audit

 Four Ways to Help You Feel Good About Your Opioid Prescription

Description
The Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) helps health professionals make decisions about prescribing and dispensing and can be used to improve patient health. Four experts will share their knowledge about the Texas PMP, enhancements to the system, and new tools available to help you feel confident about sending someone home with opioids.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the Texas PMP and what it can do. 
  • Discuss how to register for and use the Texas PMP. 
  • Examine free tools to aid patient conversations about opioid use, misuse, and safe disposal.

1.5 Continuing Education Credits/Contact Hours Available for the Following (live* event only):

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Clearing the Air on Cannabis: New Texas Laws Create Challenges for Physicians

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Before the 2019 Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3703, the medical use of cannabidiol (CBD) products in Texas was confusing for physicians and authorized only a narrow group of patients: people with intractable epilepsy.

Thanks in part to the new state law, it’s still confusing and includes a somewhat larger group of patients – all patients with epilepsy as well as those with seizure disorders, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), autism, terminal cancer, and incurable neurodegenerative diseases.

Confusion has been fueled by another 2019 measure: House Bill 1325 legalized the production and sale of hemp and some products derived from hemp that have high levels of CBD, which is non-euphoric and has low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), the psychoactive element in marijuana.

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Initial Guidance on House Bill 2174 (HB 2174)

Texas Medical Board 333 GUADALUPE, TOWER 3, SUITE 610 • AUSTIN TX 78701 PHONE: (512) 305-7084 Stephen Brint Carlton, J.D., Executive Director 30 August 2019 SUBJECT: Initial Guidance on House Bill 2174 (HB 2174) To Whom It May Concern, The Texas Medical Board is aware there may be some confusion and apprehension surrounding House Bill 2174 (HB 2174), also known as “the 10-day opioid prescribing limit for acute pain”. HB 2174 is effective September 1, 2019. The new language is found in Health and Safety Code Section 481.07636. Part (a) defines acute pain as “the normal, predicted, physiological response to a stimulus such as a trauma, disease, and operative procedures…[which] is time limited.” Part (b) reads, “For the treatment of acute pain, a practitioner may not: (1) issue a prescription for an opioid in an amount that exceeds a 10-day supply; or (2) provide for a refill of an opioid.” The Texas Medical Board interprets this section to mean a practitioner may write an opioid prescription for up to 10 days without a refill. However, the patient may see the practitioner in a follow up appointment and receive another opioid prescription for up to 10 days. The law does not limit how many times this may occur. The Texas Medical Board does not interpret this section to limit patients to a maximum of 10 days of opioids for acute pain without the possibility of any further opioids for that specific issue or “episode of care”.

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About the Texas PMP

The Texas PMP is a patient care tool that can be used to inform prescribing practice and to address prescription drug misuse, diversion, and overdose. As the only statewide electronic database that stores all controlled substance information, the Texas PMP helps prescribers and pharmacists avoid potentially life-threatening drug interactions, decide when to make referrals to specialty treatment providers, and identify individuals obtaining controlled substances from multiple health care providers and pharmacies. The Texas PMP shares prescription data with 30 other states/entities, allowing prescribers and pharmacists to track prescriptions dispensed outside of Texas.

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Prescription Drug Use Among Adults Aged 40–79 in the United States and Canada

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Key findings

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Canadian Health Measures Survey

  • Nearly 7 in 10 adults aged 40–79 used at least 1 prescription drug in the past 30 days in the United States (69.0%) and Canada (65.5%), and around 1 in 5 used at least 5 prescription drugs (22.4% in the United States and 18.8% in Canada).
  • Among adults aged 40–59, the most commonly used drug types in the United States were antidepressants, lipid-lowering drugs, and ACE inhibitors; in Canada, they were analgesics, antidepressants, and lipid-lowering drugs.
  • Among adults aged 60–79, the most commonly used drug types in the United States were lipid-lowering drugs, antidiabetic agents, and beta blockers; in Canada, they were lipid-lowering drugs, analgesics, and proton pump inhibitors.

Patterns of prescription drug use may reflect underlying patterns of health conditions and health care access in the population. Polypharmacy, often defined as the simultaneous use of five or more prescription drugs, is more common in an aging population where multiple coexisting chronic conditions often occur; however, safety concerns may arise (1). The United States and Canada share many cultural and historical ties, but with different models for health care delivery (2). This report describes the use of one or more and five or more prescription drugs among adults aged 40–79 in the United States and Canada.

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PDMP Statutes and Regulations: Compilation by Topic

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The PDMP Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) continuously strives to keep prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and other stakeholders informed and current on the issues that concern and impact PDMPs. Legislative and regulatory change is an area TTAC monitors in order to provide an in-depth overview of PDMPs across the United States. TTAC has compiled a complete listing of all state PDMP statutes and regulations. The report is broken down by topic area (e.g., data transmitters, authorized recipients, mandatory query provisions) for each state, territory, and jurisdiction with a PDMP. The information in the report is based on the statutes and regulations in each jurisdiction and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. TTAC will strive to keep the information current with routine updates. The statutory and regulatory citations included in the report are current through June 30, 2019. A copy of the report can be found here: Statutes and Regulations.

FDA Warns CBD May Overpromise and Underdeliver

Image result for CBD has become a popular additive to items like foods and edibles. Getty Images Gels, creams, and pills containing cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive, potentially therapeutic compound in the cannabis plant, have proliferated at a seemingly exponential rate in the past five years.  The industry is poised to double in growth each year between now and 2024, according to cannabis consumer research firm BDS Analytics.  But CBD is still in a regulatory gray area, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the process of wading through scientific and public commentTrusted Source to refine its regulatory strategy toward CBD products.  In the meantime, the agency has started to issue warnings over manufacturers’ more egregious claims about CBD’s therapeutic effects.  The latest warning Most recently, the agency warnedTrusted Source a CBD manufacturer for making unsubstantiated medical claims about CBD’s health benefits, including claims that the compound could treat Alzheimer’s disease and kill breast cancer cells.  “Selling unapproved products with unsubstantiated therapeutic claims — such as claims that CBD products can treat serious diseases and conditions — can put patients and consumers at risk by leading them to put off important medical care,” said acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless, in a statementTrusted Source.  “Additionally, there are many unanswered questions about the science, safety, effectiveness, and quality of unapproved products containing CBD,” he said.  The manufacturer, Curaleaf, responded in a statement that they “immediately began an extensive review of its website and social media platforms to remove all statements that FDA identified as noncompliant.”  They also said that many of the products cited by the FDA have been discontinued and that they’re working to ensure their products are compliant with FDA regulations.  “Our industry needs, wants, and appreciates the work the FDA is doing to ensure there is regulation and compliance in the CBD marketplace,” said Joseph Lusardi, CEO of

Gels, creams, and pills containing cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive, potentially therapeutic compound in the cannabis plant, have proliferated at a seemingly exponential rate in the past five years.

The industry is poised to double in growth each year between now and 2024, according to cannabis consumer research firm BDS Analytics.

But CBD is still in a regulatory gray area, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the process of wading through scientific and public commentTrusted Source to refine its regulatory strategy toward CBD products.

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New Form for Reporting Drug Overdoses

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has created an online form for physicians and other health care professionals to report overdoses from controlled substances such as opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamines.

Previously, physicians reported overdoses from these “Penalty Group 1” drugs only via phone call or by faxing a paper form to the Texas Poison Center Network.

The new electronic form replaces phone and fax reporting. It is expected to make reporting and collecting overdose data more efficient, DSHS officials said.

State law requires physicians or the person in charge of a facility in which an overdose occurs or is treated to report the overdose to the DSHS.

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FDA to Speed Review of Generic Versions of Opioid Overdose Antidote

FDA to Speed Review of Generic Versions of Opioid Overdose Antidote

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday said it would prioritize and expedite the review of generic versions of drugs indicated for the emergency treatment of opioid overdoses.

The decision follows FDA’s approval in April of the first generic of the life-saving naloxone nasal spray, commonly known as Narcan.

Under the “Public Health Emergency” prioritization factor in MAPP 5240.3, FDA says it will expedite the review of all abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) that reference new drug applications (NDAs) for drugs indicated for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose. The NDAs include the Narcan injection and nasal spray, Evzio auto-injector and Revex injection.

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Texas Prescription Monitoring Program

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The Texas State Board of Pharmacy is pleased to announce an enhancement to the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP).

On July 17, 2019, all approved PMP users will have access to an advanced analytics and patient support tool called NarxCare. In addition to the existing PMP functionality, NarxCare will aggregate and analyze prescription information from providers and pharmacies and present visual, interactive information, as well as advanced analytic insights, machine learning risk scores and more to help physicians, pharmacists and care teams to provide better patient safety and outcomes up front, for every patient, every time. NarxCare also provides tools and resources that support patients’ needs and connects them to treatment, when appropriate.

With this enhancement, healthcare providers will have access to all features and functions of NarxCare with a consistent look and feel for users who access the solution through the PMP web portal. It also enables delivery of NarxCare within Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Pharmacy Management Systems for those prescribers and dispensers in Texas who choose to access NarxCare through integration within their healthcare IT system via Appriss Health’s PMP Gateway solution.

Instructional videos on how to navigate NarxCare and how to interpret the NarxCare score are available for viewing.

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Texas Prescription Monitoring Program Statewide Integration

 

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More Information About Statewide Integration

The Texas State Board of Pharmacy has partnered with Appriss Health to provide this integration option to all Texas Healthcare providers utilizing the service called PMP Gateway. PMP Gateway is a multi-state query system that provides access to a majority of state PMPs. PMP Gateway facilitates communication, information transfer, integration, and support for the state approval process, and the EHR and Pharmacy Management System vendor development process.

Integrating TX PMP AWARxE data within an EHR and/or a Pharmacy Management System provides a streamlined clinical workflow for providers. The integration eliminates the need for providers to have to log in separately to the PMP. Instead, the EHR or Pharmacy Management System automatically initiates a patient query and returns the patient's controlled substance prescription record directly within the provider's EHR or Pharmacy Management System.

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Texas Board of Pharmacy Partners with Appriss Health to Provide Access to NarxCare Platform and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Directly within Electronic Health Records and Pharmacy Management Systems

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LOUISVILLE, KY – July 23, 2019 – Appriss Health, provider of the most comprehensive platform for opioid stewardship and substance use disorder (SUD) in the U.S., today announced that it has partnered with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP) to integrate prescription monitoring program (PMP) information into the electronic health record (EHR) systems of all prescribers and pharmacy management systems for all pharmacies in Texas with Appriss Health’s PMP Gateway solution. Additionally, the TSBP will make available the Appriss Health NarxCare susbstance use disorder platform designed to deliver additional clinical content to help identify patients at risk of an opioid overdose.

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Keep enforcing marijuana laws, Abbott, Patrick, Bonnen, Paxton tell prosecutors amid hemp law confusion

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AUSTIN -- State GOP leaders have told local prosecutors not to abandon prosecution of marijuana-possession cases because of recently passed legislation legalizing hemp.

In a joint letter to district and county attorneys, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Attorney General Ken Paxton emphasized Thursday that "marijuana has not been decriminalized in Texas." Prosecutors should not toss low-level marijuana cases, they said. In fact, the new hemp legislation gives law enforcement a new tool in pressing cases for marijuana possession, the leaders said.

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The Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits dashboard was recently updated.

Texas Department of State Health Services

The Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits dashboard was recently updated.

There are 5 tabs:

1. An Overview page that provides a general overview of data by opioid type for 2017 
2. A Data Table Builder page that lets you choose parameters to generate a data table
3. A Maps page with opioid-related emergency department visits and rates by county
4. A Data Source & Other Resources page that contains methodology behind analyzing the data
5. An Archive page that has the previous dashboard for inpatient-emergency department visits




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Reduce Risk of Opioid Overdose Deaths by Avoiding and Reducing Co-Prescribing Benzodiazepines

A new MLN Matters Article SE19011 on Reduce Risk of Opioid Overdose Deaths by Avoiding and Reducing Co-Prescribing Benzodiazepines is available. Learn about the risk, key issues, and practices to reduce coprescribing.

CMS Proposes to Cover Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain for Medicare Beneficiaries Enrolled in Approved Studies

 

On July 15, CMS proposed to cover acupuncture for Medicare patients with chronic low back pain who are enrolled participants either in clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health or in CMS-approved studies. Currently, acupuncture is non-covered by Medicare. CMS conducted evidence reviews to inform this proposal, and the agency recognizes that the evidence base for acupuncture has grown in recent years, but questions remain. “Today’s proposal represents the Trump Administration’s commitment to providing Americans with access to a wide array of options to support their health,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “Defeating our country’s epidemic of opioid addiction requires identifying all possible ways to treat the very real problem of chronic pain, and this proposal would provide patients with new options while expanding our scientific understanding of alternative approaches to pain.” 

 

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An epidemic unmasked: 76 billion pain pills saturated America

 

America’s largest drug companies saturated the country with 76 billion oxycodone and hydrocodone pain pills from 2006 through 2012 as the nation’s deadliest drug epidemic spun out of control, according to previously undisclosed company data released as part of the largest civil action in U.S. history.

The information comes from a database maintained by the Drug Enforcement Administration that tracks the path of every single pain pill sold in the United States — from manufacturers and distributors to pharmacies in every town and city. The data provides an unprecedented look at the surge of legal pain pills that fueled the prescription opioid epidemic, which has resulted in nearly 100,000 deaths from 2006 through 2012.

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Court Ruling Offers Hope on Pain Clinic Registrations

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Physicians can encounter a web of confusion and unfairness when it comes to navigating the Texas Medical Board. The Travis County district court has given Texas physicians clarity and hope when it comes to certain medical board investigations.

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Prescribing Changes in Texas: Know What You Need to Know

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State lawmakers passed a number of changes to how prescriptions for certain pain medications must be written and processed, as part of a larger effort to fight prescription fraud and abuse. TMA will outline what prescribers can expect as a result of these changes in a free live webinar on July 31.

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