Endocrinologist Deadline for Certification Application- May 31, 2014

Endocrinologists who perform thyroid ultrasound and ultrasonic guidance for biopsy and are Horizon participating physicians will be required by Horizon to earn an Endocrine Certification In Neck Ultrasound (ECNU) by June 1, 2015. In order to continue to be paid for these services beyond May 31, 2014, physicians must have submitted an ECNU Program Application to the AACE. 

 

Originally, Horizon required that endocrinologists performing these services be certified by January 1, 2014. MSNJ, together with your state and national specialty society, urged Horizon to delay the certification requirement because many physicians were not aware of the requirement and would not be able to become certified before the January 1, 2014 effective date. The year and a half delay was granted in response to those concerns.  

End of Life CME Requirement for License Renewal

There is a change in the renewal process which will affect medical staff and licensed residents who have upcoming renewals (for registrations expiring on 6/30/15).  The New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners now requires physicians to complete 2 hours of education on end-of-life care.  The following requirement must be satisfied by licensees prior to their 6/30/15 renewal date.

State Authority 45:9-7.7. Continuing Medical Education for Physicians:

14.a.  The State Board of Medical Examiners shall require that the number of credits of continuing medical education required of each person licensed as a physician, as a condition of biennial registration pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1971, c.236 ©.45:9-6.1), include two credits of educational programs or topics related to end-of-life care, subject to the provisions of section 10 of P.L.2001, c.307 (C45:9-7.1).


An educational program that satisfies this requirement is available at  www.nj.cme.edu

Physicians, who feel this education does not pertain to their practice, can write to the BME to request a waiver each renewal period.

Division of Consumer Affairs Announce New, Mandatory Security Requirements for Prescription Blanks

Fighting the black-market sale of prescription painkillers, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that the State-approved vendors that manufacture the prescription blanks used by New Jersey doctors will soon be required to add new print-based security features.

The security enhancements will include color-changing ink, 0.5-point micro-printing, and a hollow "VOID" hidden word feature, among others.

The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs regulates all prescription blanks used by State-licensed physicians, dentists, and other prescribers; and regulates the State-approved printing vendors who supply the prescription pads to prescribers.

The Division adopted, and published this week in the New Jersey Register, new regulations that mandate the enhanced security features. No later than May 18, all State-approved vendors of prescription blanks must stop selling, printing, or delivering the old-form blanks and must exclusively provide the new version. No later than August 18, all State-licensed prescribers must stop using their supply of the old blanks, and must exclusively use the new ones.

The Division developed the new regulations and prescription blank format after conducting research into the prescription security measures used in other states, and discussions with the State-approved printing vendors that currently supply prescription blanks. 

Acting Attorney General Hoffman noted that the requirement for these print-based security measures is the first of two steps outlined by the Division of Consumer Affairs to combat forgeries. The Division intends to further amend its rules, and ultimately require security measures that would be embedded in the paper itself.

The new security measures, required by the regulations adopted today, include:

• Thermochromic ink, which changes color in response to body heat. The heat-activated ink will appear in a small Rx logo on the front of the prescription blank. It will fade when touched, and return to its original color when it cools.

• Microprint, of 0.5-point type or smaller. The front of each prescription blank will include a line of microprint that is readable when viewed at 500 percent magnification, but becomes illegible when scanned or photocopied.

• A hollow "VOID" hidden word feature that is invisible on a genuine prescription blank, but should appear in illegally scanned or copied versions.

• A unique 15-digit identification number for each prescription blank. The alphanumeric code will identify the vendor that created the blank, the vendor's order number, and a six-digit serial number for each separate prescription blank.

• A barcode matching the prescription blank's unique 15-digit identification number. The barcode will enable pharmacists to scan prescription data into the New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program. The NJPMP, maintained by the Division of Consumer Affairs, records all prescription sales in New Jersey of Controlled Dangerous Substances and Human Growth Hormone. 

• A complete list of all security features will be printed on the back of the prescription blank.

• The new prescription blanks will be green on the front and blue on the back. This will enable them to be more easily distinguished from the old blanks, which are blue on the front and green on the back.

The Division of Consumer Affairs and its Board of Pharmacy, Board of Medical Examiners, and other healthcare professional licensing boards will alert pharmacists and prescribers to the timeline for implementing the new prescription blanks.

Under the New Jersey Criminal Code, the forgery, counterfeiting, or alteration of a New Jersey prescription blank is a crime of the third degree, punishable by a prison term of from three to five years and a fine of up to $15,000.

The new regulation applies only to the use of paper prescription blanks. It does not change the State or federal requirements that pertain to electronic prescriptions. Under rules adopted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, prescribers and pharmacists may use electronic prescriptions for CDS medications only through a secure system that has been tested by a DEA-approved expert. New Jersey regulations allow the use of electronic prescriptions for CDS or non-CDS drugs, only when they comply with DEA requirements as well as requirements adopted by the State.

For a list of approved printer vendors CLICK HERE