HB0169 McBride, Jerry E

P R E F I L E D

HB 169 -- Intractable Pain Act

This bill creates the Intractable Pain Act. Intractable pain is defined as a pain state in which the cause of pain cannot be cured or treated by a generally accepted course of medical practice. The bill permits a physician to prescribe controlled substances for therapeutic purposes to persons who have been diagnosed and treated for a condition resulting in intractable pain. Physicians who prescribe controlled substances to such persons are not be subject to disciplinary action by the State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts as long as the diagnosis and treatment have been documented in the physician's medical records. This bill does not authorize physicians to prescribe controlled substances to persons they know or should know are not using these substances for therapeutic reasons. Physicians are prohibited from refusing to prescribe a controlled substance for therapeutic purposes solely because of drug dependency or the possibility of drug dependency.

˙˙˙˙The bill describes situations in which the Board maintains the right to deny, suspend, or revoke the license physicians regardless of any exception in the bill.