Last month, thanks to legislative work spearheaded by the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, lawmakers amended the Illinois Controlled Substances Act (SB 1665) to exempt veterinarians from the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), effective immediately.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Veterinarians are exempt from registering for the PMP.
- Veterinarians are now prohibited from accessing patient information in the PMP.
- Veterinarians who previously registered for the PMP will be removed from the database.
- Veterinarians should report to law enforcement any person that they suspect of fraudulently obtaining any controlled substance or a prescription for a controlled substance.
Legislation passed in August 2018 (SB 2777) requires all controlled substance providers, including veterinarians, to obtain 3 hours of continuing education on safe opioid prescribing. Here are some highlights:
- All veterinarians must obtain 3 hours of Safe Opioid Prescribing CE by January 2021.
- These 3 hours can be counted toward the total CE hours required for license renewal.
In addition, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation now requires veterinarians to complete 1 hour of continuing education on sexual harassment prevention. This hour counts towards the total CE hours required for license renewal.
By Ashley Mitek, DVM, MS, DACVAA
New: Free Opioid CE Online
Drs. Stephanie Keating, Ashley Mitek, Maureen McMichael, the late Gary Stamp, and Brad Weir (Emergency Medicine Physician at Carle Foundation Hospital) created an online continuing educational module, “Safe Prescription of Opioids in Veterinary Care.”
Five video lectures developed for the course are available at: go.illinois.edu/FreeOpioidCe
Veterinary professionals may obtain one hour of free veterinary continuing education by watching the lectures and completing case studies and assessments. The module was produced through the i-Learning Center at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
FAQs about the free online CE module on veterinary opioid prescribing
