State & Federal Action Notices

OPH State Lab Forms Now Available Electronically: Updated Guidance for COVID-19 Testing at the State Laboratory

The use of Telemedicine Technologies with Established Patient

(LA HAN)--Updated Guidance for COVID-19 Testing at the State Lab & Patient Under Investigation Form

Notice to COVID-19 Temporary Permit Holders

Heroine: A Deadly Resurgeance

Telehealth for Allied Health Care Providers

Continuing Education Tracker Update

Policies

Board Buzz Newsletters

Whistleblowing

Private Radiological Technologists

Podiatrists

Multi-Specialty Conference on Sarcoidosis

25% Decrease in opioid production in 2017

Special Call Meeting

Louisiana Department of Health Reporting Surge of Fatal Drug Overdoses

Scammers claiming to be with the LSBME

Investigations

Application & Instructions for Initial Licensure - Podiatry

Online Board Orientation

COVID-19 CRISIS INFORMATION

Board Approved CME Courses for CDS Requirements

LA State Registers-5 Year Archive

Links

Welcome Medical Psycologists

Frequently Asked Questions

Health Care Resources for the Practitioner

Activity

Application & Instructions for Initial Licensure - Polysomnography Reinstatement

Emergency Temporary Permits for Health Care Practitioners

GETP and PGY Temporary Permits

History

Educational Resources - Physicians

Topics of Interest

Helpful Hints - Physician Licensure

General Instructions

Advisory Opinion FAQ's

Death Certificates

The Impaired Professional

Medical Psychology Practice Act

Frequently Asked Questions - Physician Licensure

Adjudication Process

Athletic Trainer Advisory Committee

Louisiana Telehealth Access Act

Board Orientation On-line Welcome

Email Blast Communications from the LSBME

Unprofessional Conduct Rules

LaMED DashBoard Now Available

LDH Provider Notice: Medical and Surgical Procedures

LSBME Legislative Update - 2019

Updated Interim Guidance on Evaluation and Testing Criteria for Suspected COVID-19 Cases

Interim Guidance on 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Travelers from Wuhan, China

Health Alert Regarding Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM)

Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee

Hepatitis A Outbreak (Update)

Moonlighting Guidance

CDC Update re: Hepatitis A Outbreak

Guidance For Physicians On Safe Purchase Of Drugs From Pharmaceutical Distributors

Occupational Therapy Assistants

Office Based Surgery

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Notice to Physician Assistants

Emergency Temporary Permits

Hydrocodone Combination Products Re-Scheduled

CDC's Interim Guidance for Businesses for COVID-19

Rule Adoptions

Physicians Health Program

Integrative and Complementary Medicine Advisory Committee

Perfusionists Advisory Committee

Integrative and Complementary Medicine Committee

Advisory Committees

Perfusionists Rules

Collaborative Drug Therapy Management

LDH views on off-label prescribing

Respiratory Therapy

Healthcare Resources for the Consumer

Board Meeting - March 23-24, 2020

Infant Formula Recall and Reporting of C ronobacter sakazakii Cases in Infants

Availability of Personal Protective Equipment from your Established Vendor

USMLE Step 3 (Update)

Notice to Licensees re Continuing Education Requirements

LSMS Roundtable Discussion

Guidance for Clinicians Caring for Individuals Recently Evacuated from Afghanistan

LDH - Hepatitis C Announcement

***Scam Alert***

Renewal Notices

Louisiana Health Alert Network (LA HAN)--Steps for Community- and Faith-Based Organizations to Take to Prepare for Coronavirus

Training Matters

Physician Assistant Advisory Committee Vacancy

Zika in the ED: How Emergency Care Staff Can Take Action

Notice of a Large Mumps Outbreak in Northwest Arkansas

Therapeutic Marijuana Guidance

Background Check Fee

LSBME Legislative Update

LSBME Newsletter-June 2018

Risks of Benzodiazepine Use in Patients with Chronic Pain

CDC Publishes Guidelines on the Use of Opiods for Chronic Pain

CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) has partnered with CDC’s Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (

) and the University of Washington to present a webinar series about the 

CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain

. The series will cover when and how opioids should be initiated for chronic pain, how to assess risk and address harms of opioid use, and when and how opioids should be discontinued. Faculty and clinicians from the University of Washington will provide insight into the application of the Guideline in clinical settings.

 for more information on this webinar's objectives.

CDC's Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain Webinar

Important information concerning new medicaid requirements for enrolling, ordering, prescribing and referring providers from DHH. See 

New Medicaid Requirements For Enrolling Ordering, Prescribing and Referring Providers

See the attached resources from DHH EOC related to the sexual transmission of the Zika Virus. 

Sexual Transmission of the Zika Virus

The LSBME has received a Public Health Alert from the Department of Health and Hospitals regarding Syphilis. See 

Syphilis and HIV in New Orleans Public Health Region

JAMA - CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain—

Effective February 15, 2016, the LSBME welcomed Eric  D. Torres to his new position as Executive Director.  Mr. Torres, an attorney by training, comes to us from the DHH Office of Public Health, where he was Business Operations Director for the Health Promotion Unit.  Board Chairman J. Michael Burdine, MD, spoke for all of the Board members when he announced, “We are delighted to welcome Mr. Torres to his new post.  His background as an attorney, along with his knowledge and experience of health care issues and the financial operations of the Department of Health and Hospitals make him extremely well qualified for this position. We are confident he will do an outstanding job in leading this agency in the future.”

LSBME Welcomes New Executive Director

For the latest information on caring for infants and children with possible Zika Virus infection, click 

Caring for Infants and Children with possible Zika Virus Infection

Gratis CME offering to physicians and allied health professionals on 

 to be held in New Orleans on Saturday, February 27, 2016.  For more information, click 

The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (“the Board”) seeks a physician investigator to serve in a leadership role in its Investigation Division. Click 

Physician Investigator/Medical Consultant

, pursuant to LSA-R.S. 42:19(A), that the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (the "Board"), within the Department of Health and Hospitals, State of Louisiana, shall convene a special meeting of the Board at 9:00 a.m., Monday, November 9, 2015, at the offices of the Board, 630 Camp Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. The agenda of such meeting can be found here. 

Special Call Business Meeting

 published certain amendments to the Board’s rules on unprofessional conduct, LAC 46:XLV.7603. The publication inadvertently included wording that the Board had instructed be removed 

 a physician shall “b. not hold himself or herself out as a specialist in an area of medical practice unless the physician has successfully completed a residency or fellowship training program, which is accredited by the American Council on Graduate Medical Education of the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.”

The cited language was previously removed from this rulemaking effort by the Board. See: Potpourri Section of the July 2015 edition of the Register (LR 41:1416), whereat the Board noted that “After further review the board has decided to defer proceeding at this time on the amendments original proposed in §7603A.9 (e.g., holding one’s self out as a 

) and proceed only with the proposed amendments to §7603A.11.”

The Register has agree to reprint the corrected Rule removing the cited language, with an explanatory note, in the November edition of the Register.

The LSBME Online Renewal service is now available. Go to 

Online Renewals

**Notice; Physician Assistants—**Act 453 of the 2015 Session of the Louisiana Legislature amended the law governing physician assistants (PAs) to include, among other items, Schedule II CDS within the drugs that could be delegated to a PA by a supervising physician (SP). A rule-making effort to conform the Board’s existing rules to the changes is in development. In the interim, the law supersedes the rules where there is a disparity. A PA whose SP wishes to delegate Schedule II authority should complete and return to the Board an updated Notice of Intent to practice (available on this website).

A new Statement of Position has been issued by the Board regarding 

The Use of Social Media By Physicians and Other Healthcare Providers

Statement of Position

Recent outbreaks of viral meningitis and salmonella in Louisiana have the state’s Infectious disease epidemiology department concerned about the underreporting of certain infectious diseases.  While many of these conditions do get reported to them from labs or the infection control department of hospitals, we would like to remind health practitioners of their individual responsibility in this matter.

Dr. Raoult Ratard, the state epidemiologist realizes that physicians and others are busy professionals and will not report every case of infectious disease.  However, he and his associates in the department of infectious disease epidemiology do hope that health professionals use their common sense.  If, for example, a physician, nurse or PA sees a child with diarrhea and bloody stool and it is mentioned that various children in the class are suffering from the same condition, a call to the hotline is in order.  The faster the department is made aware of a potential problem, the faster it can operate to locate the source of a food borne illness or a dangerous respiratory or other condition and prevent further morbidity and/or mortality.

For further information on what diseases are reportable under the Sanitary Code and how soon they must be reported after diagnoses, go to 

http://dhh.louisiana.gov/assets/oph/Center-PHCH/Center-CH/infectious-epi/EpiManual/sancode042513.pdf

 and download this helpful information.  (You may want to post this one page document in your office.) The 24 hour hotline number to report infectious diseases or suspected outbreaks is 800-256-2748.

Underreporting of Infectious Diseases

GUIDANCE FOR PHYSICIANS ON SAFE PURCHASE OF DRUGS FROM PHARMACEUTICAL DISTRIBUTORS Health care providers can help protect the public health and reduce potential legal liability by avoiding purchasing prescription drugs that do not comply with U.S. regulatory requirements.  To help ensure safe drug purchasing from pharmaceutical distributors, FDA recommends that health care providers and their staff do the following:

MAKE SURE THE DRUGS AND DEVICES YOU DISPENSE IN YOUR PRACTICE COME FROM A STATE APPROVED SOURCE!

Under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (21 U.S.C. 351 et seq.), as of January 1, 2015, all healthcare providers who dispense or administer prescription drugs to patients are required to purchase their prescription drug products only from authorized trading partners licensed by or registered with the state or federal government. This will help protect patients from being harmed by potentially dangerous and illegal drug products.

The FDA is committed to promoting and protecting the public health by helping to ensure that only safe, effective, and high-quality drugs and devices are available to the American public. Health care providers and patients are encouraged to report any suspicious medical products to FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations 

. Physician offices should be wary of mass advertising campaigns via “blast faxes,” phone calls, direct email, and online marketing for the sale of physician administered drugs and injections.

The Louisiana Board of Wholesale Drug Distributors (LBWDD) is the state agency charged with the responsibility to safeguard life and health and to promote the public welfare by licensing and regulating all entities engaged in the wholesale distribution of controlled or legend drugs or devices in/into the state of Louisiana.

To verify that a vendor you buy drugs or devices from is licensed by the LBWDD, go to:

http://www.lsbwdd.org/wholesaler-license-lookup/

Purchasing Safe Drugs and Devices from an Approved Source

Prescribers:  Please read the following to be properly informed about electronic prescribing of CDS:

Since June 1, 2010, the DEA has allowed electronic prescribing of controlled substances.  However, the electronic transmission of controlled substance prescriptions is not mandatory in Louisiana.

Paper prescriptions for all schedule II-V controlled substances are still permitted.  Telephone authorization for schedules III-V controlled substances are still valid.

Electronic prescriptions for controlled substances, including schedule II, are permitted only when both of the following criteria are met:

1. The prescriber’s software has been authenticated by a DEA–approved certifying organization; and

2. The pharmacy’s software has been authenticated by a DEA-approved certifying organization.

For a list of DEA-approved certifying organizations, go to: 

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/ecomm/e_rx/thirdparty.htm

Not all prescribers or pharmacies have approved systems.  Prescribers and pharmacies should understand the capabilities and limitations of their current software.   For more information on the various e-prescribing software vendors and their attributes, the LA Board of Pharmacy recommends the following website:  

http://surescripts.com/network-connections/mns/prescriber-software

Physicians should ensure that their prescribing software is approved for this purpose by one of the entities on the DEA certified list above.  In some cases, this may only require an upgrade of the software you are already using.  In the absence of approved software, CDS prescriptions transmitted electronically to a pharmacy are deemed to be “faxed” and will not be filled without an original signature.

1. Have a certification report for the electronic health records (EHR) or electronic prescription application to verify compliance with the DEA rule.

2. Obtain digital “credentials” to electronically sign CDS prescriptions.The prescriber may need to contact the EHR or application provider to determine how to obtain these credentials.

3. Restrict access so that only authorized individuals may electronically “sign” CDS prescriptions.

For further information please review the information available on the DEA website at:  

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/ecomm/e_rx/index.html

Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances

Recent article concerning increased risks associated with the use of benzodiazepines in patients on chronic narcotic therapy. 

This is a message from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Emergency Operations Center (DHH EOC). To remain current on newly released information about the recent national measles outbreak, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at 

The Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) and CDC encourages healthcare providers to consider measles when evaluating a patient with febrile rash and ask about a patient's vaccine status, recent travel history, and contact with individuals who have febrile rash illness.

Measles can be prevented with the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine. In the United States, widespread use of measles vaccine has led to a greater than 99% reduction in measles cases compared with the pre-vaccine era. For additional information on measles vaccination, visit the CDC website at 

http://www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccination.html

Also, please see the letter attached for additional information on measles signs and symptoms and reporting suspected cases.

By Louisiana statue, measles must be reported immediately upon suspicion. Please report suspected measles cases promptly to the Louisiana Office of Public Health Immunization Program at 504-838-5300 or Louisiana Epidemiology Hotline 800-256-2748 after hours.

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