Keep Your Patients and Practice Safe from Opioid Prescription Fraud
By David Doolittle

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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. Sheffield, DO (R-Gatesville) – was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 14.

Original story:

If you prescribe opioids, it’s important to protect your practice and your patients from fraud and substance-use disorder.

One way to ensure that patients accurately follow your prescription is to have them sign an informed consent and opioid treatment agreement, such as this example provided by the Texas Pain Society.

An opioid treatment agreement is a contract between you and your patient that you can incorporate into the patient’s file in your electronic health records (EHRs).

One of the bonus measures for the 2019 Merit-Based Incentive Payment System’s Promoting Interoperability (PI) category is a signed opioid treatment agreement for at least one patient whose Schedule II opioid prescription was electronically prescribed for at least 30 cumulative days within a six-month look-back period.

Also keep in mind that beginning Sept. 1, 2019, all prescribers will be required to set up an account with Texas’ prescription monitoring program (PMP), known as PMP Aware. An account allows physicians to check a patient’s prescription history for information that indicates illicit activity, drug abuse, drug diversion, or doctor shopping.

If you need help setting up an account or using the new PMP website, check out this informative TMA-produced video hosted by Allison Benz, executive director of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.

If you still have questions about safe prescribing, contact TMA's Health Information Technology Department at (800) 880-5720 or by email.

Last Updated On

June 19, 2019

Originally Published On

March 19, 2019

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