Texans seeking pain relief soon can take comfort from a new state law requiring pain management clinics to be certified by the Texas Medical Board (TMB) by Sept. 1.

Texas physicians hope the new law will put "pill mills," storefronts disguised as pain medicine clinics, out of commission. These storefronts skirt the patient-physician relationship by providing powerful narcotic prescriptions without requiring a patient exam, explains Texas Medicine magazine, the official publication of the Texas Medical Association (TMA).

The storefronts give legitimate pain management clinics and physicians a bad name, and put patients at risk, TMA physicians argue. They say the new law (Senate Bill 911) will help correct this issue.

"SB 911 was a response to a need to find a balance between access to quality pain medicine care and preventing diversion," said Cris Schade, MD, PhD, a Garland pain management specialist who testified for the bill on behalf of TMA.

Previously, TMB had no rules governing the ownership and operation of pain management clinics. The new law allows TMB to ensure quality patient care by investigating pain management clinics to determine if they are operating legitimately.

"If we (TMB) become aware of a pain management clinic that is doing business after Sept. 1 without a certificate, we will take action to shut the clinic down until it can meet the requirements of the law," Mari Robinson, an attorney and TMB's executive director, told Texas Medicine.

The new law's ultimate goal is to protect the public. Dr. Schade warns that these clinics generally only accept cash through a storefront with no medical equipment and no patient recording-keeping. Patients who use such clinics can get caught in diversion, the illegal sale and distribution of products such as hydrocodone and Soma arising from false prescriptions.

Under the new law, only Texas physicians with unrestricted licenses may own and operate a pain management clinic. Earlier this year, TMB sent Texas physicians with restricted licenses letters outlining the new law's certification requirements.

"My hope is that certification will be seen as desirable. Certification provides a certain level of quality assurance. Clinics and physicians who meet the criteria developed by TMB become known for providing legitimate, quality care," Dr. Schade told Texas Medicine.

Source:
Texas Medical Association