The Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) was created to be a cost-effective tool to help control misuse of controlled substances, to preventing drug diversion, and to generate and disseminate information regarding prescription trends.
Violations of the PMP are serious and could put a medical license at risk. If you are a doctor, nurse, or pharmacists licensed in Texas, it is critical that you adhere to the rules and regulations of the PMP.
What Texas Doctors, Nurses, and Pharmacists Should Know About the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program
The PMP collects prescription data on all Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances dispensed by a pharmacy in Texas and to a Texas resident from a pharmacy located in another state. The Texas State Board of Pharmacy is the regulatory body responsible for administering the PMP.
Federal DEA Registration Number
Prescribers and pharmacies are required to have a current Federal DEA registration number to prescribe or dispense controlled substances in Texas.
Checking Patient Prescription History
The AWARxE site may be used by providers to inquire about a patient’s prescription history and to verify the practitioner’s own records.
Through this system, the PMP helps prescribers avoid the situation in which duplicate prescriptions are issued for the same drugs by multiple providers. The AWARxE system also allows providers to confirm that the prescriptions for controlled substances linked to their DEA registration number were actually written by them.
Health and Safety Code §481.076 outlines which prescribers and dispensers may access the prescribing information and under which circumstances. Unauthorized or otherwise inappropriate access may constitute grounds for disciplinary action by that individual’s licensing board.
Mandatory Reporting to PMP for Pharmacies
Texas-licensed pharmacies that dispense Schedule II, III, IV, and V drugs are required to report the information directly to the PMP’s contracted vendor, APPRISS. The healthcare prescriber’s Federal DEA number is to be included in the reported information.
Pharmacies are to report no later than the next business day after the prescription is completely filled. Failure to timely report may subject a pharmacy to an administrative, civil, or criminal penalty.
Changing A Prescription
The following information cannot be changed on an official prescription form: patient name, name of the drug, name of the prescribing physician, or the date of the prescription.
The quantity or strength of the drug, or directions for use may be changed as long as the pharmacist:
- Contacts the prescribing physician and obtains verbal permission for the change, and
- Documents on the prescription the following information:
- Change that was authorized,
- Name or initials of the individual granting the authorization, and
- Initials of the pharmacist.
Facing Disciplinary Action for Alleged Violations of the PMP
If you have been notified of a complaint filed against you for alleged violations of the PMP based on a prescription you wrote or filled, it is critical that you seek the advice of an experienced medical license defense attorney immediately.
Our Firm believes that immediately consulting an experienced medical license defense attorney to review allegations of misconduct helps ensure the most favorable outcome in your case. We know how to navigate the complaint processes of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, the Texas Medical Board, and the Texas Board of Nursing. The attorneys at BERTOLINO LLP are prepared to represent you at any legal hearing or proceeding regarding your professional license.
Our law firm helps professionals, like you, keep their licenses when those licenses are under attack by a state agency or board.
BERTOLINO LLP represents licensed professionals across the entire State of Texas. We know how to build a strong case to protect your license – and your livelihood. Our results speak for themselves.
If you are facing disciplinary action from a professional licensing board, contact us today or call (512) 476-5757 and schedule a case evaluation.
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