Driven by the passage of SB 263 in the 2016 legislative session, the NM Medical Board has revised its regulations on the Management of Pain and Controlled Substances 16.10.14 NMAC which has been officially approved by State Records and Archives for publication.
Key changes to the regulations are as follow:
1. The PMP needs to be consulted before prescribing more than a 4 day supply of any controlled substance.
2. The PMP must be consulted every three months when prescribing controlled substances.
3. However, the following are exceptions to the above:
a. Not needed for patients in nursing facility or hospice care.
b. Not needed when prescribing testosterone, pregabalin, lacosamide, or ezogabine.
c. Not needed when prescribing stimulants to patients under the age of 14.
4. Urine tox screens must be obtained before prescribing opioids for chronic pain, and then obtained every six months thereafter.
5. The PMP must be consulted before prescribing methadone for patients as part of a substance abuse treatment program (for methadone maintenance).
Note: other requirements for proper treatment of pain, and obtaining pain-related CME’s every licensing cycle, remain unchanged