August 31, 2010 · A new state law that takes effect September 1st seeks to crack down on the amount of prescription pain medication being sold illegally. The law strongly supported by Texas physicians will now require pain management clinics to be certified by the Texas Medical Board. Doctors are concerned about what they call pill mills; clinics that don’t require a patient exam before prescribing powerful narcotic pain medication. Dr. C.M. Schade is a pain management specialist from Garland who testified before a state senate committee as the bill was being considered.
“The purpose of this is to allow the medical board the ability to quickly take away a physician’s license and at least stop the flow of these medications to the streets,” said Schade.
Previously the Texas Medical Board had no rules governing the ownership and operation of pain management clinics, but this law will allow the TMB to investigate any questionable practices by those clinics. Schade and other doctors hope lawmakers will pass more legislation in the future that targets drug users and dealers who do what some call doctor shop for pain medication prescriptions.
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