HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 831        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3479

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act Requiring Pain Management and Prescription Drug Abuse Training For Prescribing Medical and Healthcare Providers..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 18 of Chapter 94C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following subsection (e):

(e) Prescribing practitioners seeking to obtain or renew a Massachusetts professional license shall be required to demonstrate completion of no less than 8 hours of training for physicians and 2 hours of training for all other prescribing practitioners in effective pain management, including identification of patients at high risk for substance abuse and other aspects of prescription medication abuse. Professional licensing boards may count these hours as part of their regular continuing education licensing requirements. The Department of Public Health shall assist professional education organizations in developing programs that achieve the stated purposes, which programs shall qualify toward the satisfaction of continuing professional education licensing requirements.