86R13228 MAW-D
 
  By: Price H.B. No. 2454
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to continuing education requirements for certain health
  professionals regarding pain management and the prescribing of
  opioids.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 156.055, Occupations Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 156.055.  CONTINUING EDUCATION IN PAIN MANAGEMENT AND
  PRESCRIPTION OF OPIOIDS [TREATMENT]. A physician licensed under
  this subtitle who submits an application for renewal of a license
  that designates a direct patient care practice must complete, as
  part of [and whose practice includes treating patients for pain is
  encouraged to include continuing medical education in pain
  treatment among] the hours of continuing medical education
  completed to comply with Section 156.051(a)(2), not less than two
  hours of continuing medical education regarding pain management and
  opioid abuse, including education regarding the reasonable
  standard of care in prescribing opioids and other addictive
  controlled substances.
         SECTION 2.  Section 157.0513(a), Occupations Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The board, the Texas Board of Nursing, and the Texas
  Physician Assistant Board shall jointly develop a process:
               (1)  to exchange information regarding the names,
  locations, and license numbers of each physician, advanced practice
  registered nurse, and physician assistant who has entered into a
  prescriptive authority agreement;
               (2)  by which each board shall immediately notify the
  other boards when a license holder of the board becomes the subject
  of an investigation involving the delegation and supervision of
  prescriptive authority, as well as the final disposition of any
  such investigation; [and]
               (3)  by which each board shall maintain and share a list
  of the board's license holders who have been subject to a final
  adverse disciplinary action for an act involving the delegation and
  supervision of prescriptive authority; and
               (4)  to ensure that each advanced practice registered
  nurse or physician assistant who has entered into a prescriptive
  authority agreement authorizing the prescribing of opioids is
  required to complete not less than two hours of continuing
  education in each license renewal period regarding pain management
  and opioid abuse, including education regarding the reasonable
  standard of care in prescribing opioids and other addictive
  controlled substances.
         SECTION 3.  Section 257.005, Occupations Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
         (b-1)  The board shall require a licensed dentist whose
  practice includes direct patient care to complete, for each
  registration period, not less than two hours of board-approved
  continuing education regarding pain management and opioid abuse,
  including education regarding the reasonable standard of care in
  prescribing opioids and other addictive controlled substances.
         SECTION 4.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to an application for renewal of a registration permit or license
  submitted on or after January 1, 2020. A renewal application
  submitted before January 1, 2020, is governed by the law in effect
  immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former
  law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.