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.