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Training to Focus on Opioid Prescribing Guidelines - 4/28/2017 7:16:00 PM

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched an online training series to help clinicians apply its opioid prescribing guidelines for adults with chronic pain. The eight-part series is designed to help physicians better und...
AMA Group Aims to Reduce Inappropriate Opioid Prescribing - 6/17/2016 3:33:46 PM

Physicians have a professional obligation to reverse the nation's opioid epidemic. That's the message of the American Medical Association Task Force to Reduce Prescription Opioid Abuse. The task force focuses on reducing the inappropriate prescribing...
TMA Opioid Prescribing CME Meets TMB Requirements - 12/8/2020 7:58:17 PM

As you might already be aware, the Texas Medical Board (TMB) now requires physicians to take two hours of CME on pain management and prescriptions of opioids and other controlled substances every 24 months. TMB adopted the requirement in July to cla...
Res 316 2020 Concurrent Prescribing of Opioid Antagonists with Opioid Prescriptions.et - 7/8/2020 3:35:06 PM
Are You Ready for Changes to Opioid Prescribing in Texas? - 6/19/2019 7:17:51 PM

Update June 19: Initially, all Texas prescribers had until Sept. 1 to set up a PMP Aware account. However, thanks to TMA advocacy, lawmakers recently passed a bill that pushed back that deadline to March 1, 2020. House Bill 3284 – by Rep. J.D. She...
When Do New Opioid Prescribing Requirements Take Effect? - 8/2/2019 4:55:41 PM

To combat the ongoing opioid crisis, state lawmakers passed several measures that change how physicians and other health care professionals will prescribe opioids. The new laws are designed to reduce prescription fraud, particularly by increas...
The Changing Face of the Opioid Epidemic - 9/27/2019 4:00:15 PM

Opioid abuse and overdose deaths continue to rise in the U.S., with more than 46,000 opioid-related deaths in 2017, up from 5,000 in 2000, data show. But the problem can’t be explained in total deaths alone. The crisis also has changed in character ...
TMA Weighs In on Opioid-Antagonist Prescriptions - 2/11/2019 5:13:24 PM

The Texas Medical Association continues to track key regulatory changes that could affect your practice, and recently submitted comments on the Texas Medical Board’s (TMB) proposed rule for the use of opioid antagonists. The drugs can immediately re...
Earn CME on Opioid-Use Medications - 4/24/2018 3:38:00 PM

Prescribing medications to treat opioid use disorders is one way health officials are working to reverse the epidemic that killed 42,000 people in the United States in 2016. But how have medications been used to treat opioid misuse? What is the rati...
Opioids: Resources for Prescribing and Addiction Treatment - 3/26/2018 10:13:08 PM

A new, free mobile app provides immediate access to information about medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder. The app features information about medications and treatment approaches, clinical support tools, access to helplines, ...
Why Marijuana Will Not Fix the Opioid Epidemic - 9/19/2018 6:37:40 PM

By Kenneth Finn, MD Reprinted with permission, Missouri Medicine, the Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, Volume 155:3, 191-193. Marijuana has been used for health purposes for thousands of years, when the plant had THC content...
U.S. Opioid Abuse: Teaching Is Fundamental - 5/3/2018 5:54:34 PM

Commentary — September 2016 Tex Med. 2016;112(9):11-12. By Emilie Y. Prot, DO Abuse of prescription pain medications has become a national epidemic behind the top three most commonly abused substances ― alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana ―...
Tapering a Patient’s Opioid Dosage? Follow This Guide - 10/18/2019 2:04:49 PM

In an effort to curb the nationwide opioid epidemic while keeping patients from excessive pain, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week published a guide for physicians considering or initiating a reduction in opioid dosage. ...
Report Shows Physician Progress in Opioid Crisis - 6/8/2018 3:24:11 PM

A report released late last month highlights physicians’ leadership in the continued efforts to curb the nationwide opioid-abuse epidemic. The report, issued by the American Medical Association (AMA), found a decrease in opioid prescribing nationwid...
Prescribing - 4/24/2016 3:51:10 AM
Making Prescribing Less Painful for Physicians - 2/15/2020 8:45:19 PM

No one likes to be told what to do. We physicians, especially, are tired of government agencies and insurance companies and hospital administrators telling us how to take care of our patients. So I won’t be surprised if physicians around the s...
New Laws Improve Opioid Prescription Process in Texas - 8/6/2019 7:23:58 PM

The 2019 Texas Legislature enacted three new laws that will change the way physicians prescribe opioids. House Bill 3284 by Rep. J.D. Sheffield, DO (R-Gatesville), delays the mandate for physicians check the state’s prescription monitoring program, ...
FDA Says No to Prescription Opioid Cough Meds for Children - 1/17/2018 3:50:30 PM

It’s cold and flu season, so a lot of your pediatric patients probably have a pretty nasty cough. But is prescribing a codeine- or hydrocodone-based medication the best thing to do? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) no longer thinks so. FDA o...
TMA to AMA: Work to Open E-prescribing For Psychiatrists - 6/8/2018 2:18:30 PM

A patient in rural West Texas is struggling with opioid addiction. There are no local psychiatrists, so the patient needs telemedicine for the counseling and prescriptions he needs. There's just one problem: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)...
Guidance on Prescribing Schedule II Hydrocodone Products - 10/2/2014 7:49:28 PM

Over TMA's objections, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published a final rule in the Federal Register reclassifying drugs that contain hydrocodone combinations from Schedule III to Schedule II. The change will take effect Oct. 6. [Read TMA...
Surgeon General Calls on Physicians to End Opioid Abuse Epidemic - 10/11/2016 6:07:12 PM

Last month, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD, emailed a letter to 2.3 million health professionals asking them to lead a national movement to turn the tide on the nation's prescription opioid epidemic. The letter stresses the need for educa...
Removing the Pain from Prescribing Pain Meds - 11/7/2019 4:04:28 PM

Chronic pain is one of the most frequent reasons people seek medical attention in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you prescribe opioids for chronic pain, there are things you need to know t...
Opioid Addiction Screening Tools for Patients With Chronic Noncancer Pain - 5/13/2016 7:59:40 PM

Symposium on Mental Health — February 2015 Tex Med. 2015;111(2):61-65. By Adriane M. dela Cruz, MD, and Madhukar H. Trivedi, MD Introduction Recent reports of the sharp increase in overdose deaths from prescription opioids have raised concerns r...
Physicians Need to Prepare for New Opioid Rules and Best Practices - 10/9/2019 4:27:14 PM

Texas physicians need to prepare for changes in state law tied to opioid prescribing in the coming months, according to the three-physician panel that addressed "Responding to the Opioid Epidemic" at the 2019 Texas Medical Association Fall Conference...
Keep Your Patients and Practice Safe from Opioid Prescription Fraud - 6/19/2019 7:16:54 PM

Update June 19: Initially, all Texas prescribers had until Sept. 1 to set up a PMP Aware account. However, thanks to TMA advocacy, lawmakers recently passed a bill that pushed back that deadline to March 1, 2020. House Bill 3284 – by Rep. J.D. Sheff...
Four Ways To Improve Your Practice’s E-Prescribing - 2/26/2019 4:10:09 PM

E-prescribing has become commonplace in most practices, but, as with most new technology, there are still lessons to be learned to improve the quality of electronic prescriptions. The e-prescribing health information network Surescripts recommends ...
Federal Bill Would Limit Opioid Scrips for Acute Pain - 4/22/2019 6:51:47 PM

U.S. senators are taking another crack at tackling the national opioid epidemic with a bill that would establish a dramatic new limit on initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain. That proposed limit — a three-day supply — is drawing strong skepti...
Legislative Top 10: Efforts to Curb Opioid Abuse Await Governor - 6/7/2019 4:41:44 PM

Motivated to act by the ongoing national opioid crisis, the 86th Texas Legislature worked to limit how the powerful drugs are prescribed. Today's Texas Medical Association Legislative News Hotline video reports on the bill that emerged – ...
Use Technology, Not Mandates, To Address Doctor Shopping and Opioid Diversion - 3/25/2017 6:28:11 PM

March 16, 2017 TO: Senate Health and Human Services Committee Sen. Charles Schwertner, MD, ChairmanSen. Carlos Uresti, Vice ChairmanSen. Dawn BuckinghamSen. Konni BurtonSen. Lois KolkhorstSen. Borris MilesSen. Charles PerrySen. Van TaylorSen. Kirk ...
Written Agreement Can Reduce Risks of Pain Med Prescribing - 10/28/2013 9:08:44 PM

Millions of U.S. cancer patients suffer unnecessarily because doctors fail to adequately treat their pain, says a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Although the study did not investigate why this is the case, common reasons iden...
Same Old Hurdles: Pharmacy-Mandated Obstacles to Filling Opioid Scrips - 9/2/2020 4:44:47 PM

The roadblocks for prescribing pain medicine are still there. Even after the state introduced a safeguard to help physicians spot illicit prescription use and doctor-shopping, barriers remain. Those hurdles, set u...
Opioid Overreach? State, Retail Pharmacy Policies Prompt Scope-of-Practice Concerns - 12/7/2018 2:23:33 PM

The relationship between physicians and pharmacists is an important one. But when pharmacies introduce one-size-fits-all limits on prescriptions, or demand medical information before they’ll fill a prescription, many doctors believe they’re tiptoein...
TMA to TMB: Let Docs Decide Whether In-Person Visit Needed For Subsequent Opioid Scrips - 3/6/2020 2:46:46 PM

The Texas Medical Association has some suggestions for the Texas Medical Board (TMB) on how to implement the state’s new 10-day limit on opioid prescriptions for acute pain. A letter to the board from TMA, the Texas College of Emergency Physicians, ...
E-Prescribing - 10/5/2010 6:08:03 PM

Instructions for requesting articles. Journal Articles McVeigh FL 2nd. E-prescribing in the optometric practice. Optometry. 2008 Nov;79(11):692-701. Weingart SN, Simchowitz B, Shiman L, Brouillard D, Cyrulik A, Davis RB, Isaac T, Massagli M, Mor...
E-prescribing Penalties and Incentives - 4/18/2012 4:58:24 PM

Texas physicians have until June 30 to e-prescribe to avoid a 1.5-percent penalty on all 2013 Medicare Part B claims. If you do not already e-prescribe in your office, now is the time to begin. If you do not already use an electronic health record (E...
Watch for E-Prescribing Overpayment - 2/28/2013 5:38:04 PM

Texas Medicare contractor Novitas Solutions has identified a problem with the e-prescribing payment reduction file for 2012 dates of service. The system is not processing the 1-percent reduction for 2012 dates of service. This is resulting in overp...
Watch for E-Prescribing Overpayments - 2/27/2013 8:22:51 PM

Texas Medicare contractor Novitas Solutions has identified a problem with files the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provides that are supposed to show physicians who did not meet CMS requirements for e-prescribing. The files are no...
Penalized for Not E-Prescribing in 2011? - 2/14/2012 6:39:12 PM

TMA is getting calls from physicians who were penalized 1 percent for not e-prescribing in 2011, even though they thought they did everything correctly. To prevent a 2012 penalty, physicians should have successfully e-prescribed 10 times and reporte...
Avoid Prescribing Pitfalls - 3/22/2018 6:38:33 PM

Signing a prescription means you have a patient-physician relationship and all that goes with it. In a 2008 TMA risk management program, Michele Shackelford, JD, of Shackelford Consulting counseled her audience to do the following to avoid being take...
Opioid REMS Continuing Medical Education - 5/13/2016 3:50:47 PM

On July 9, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) for extended-release (ER) and long-acting (LA) opioid medications. The Collaborative on REMS Education (CORE), a multidisciplinary col...
Opioid_Presentation_April_18 - 4/18/2018 3:27:36 PM
Opioid_Derease_report - 5/1/2018 3:00:06 PM
Sample Opioid Treatment Agreement - 2/20/2019 6:59:31 PM
Opioid_Tapering_Announcement - 10/17/2019 2:34:20 PM
Learn About Effective Medications For Treating Opioid Addiction - 4/30/2019 4:26:58 PM

If you are interested in learning about effective medications for fighting opioid-use disorder, be sure to attend the upcoming Texas Grand Rounds online webinar this week. The webinar, presented by the Opioid Response Network, will discuss the...
Following National Trend, Texas’ Opioid Prescriptions Drop - 5/4/2018 8:59:39 PM

In a sign that efforts to curb prescription-drug abuse are taking hold, the number of opioid prescriptions written in Texas and nationwide has fallen significantly since 2013, a study released last month shows. Nationwide, 22 percent fewer opioid pr...
Opiods Background and Prescribing Variance - 3/21/2018 10:29:43 PM
Prescribing and Medication Management - Telemedicine - 3/19/2020 6:02:47 AM
Texas Gets $46 Million to Fight Opioid Abuse - 10/12/2018 4:47:48 PM

The state of Texas has received more federal aid in the fight against opioid-use disorders. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently awarded the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) $46.2 million to expand ...
Join Discussion on Treating Opioid Addiction - 11/13/2019 3:43:17 PM

You’re no doubt aware of the opioid epidemic that is gripping Texas as well as the U.S. And you’re no doubt concerned about how the crisis is affecting patients and public health as a whole in and around Corpus Christi. To help you gain...