www.psychiatry-mps.org MPS Bulletin - November/December 2016 10 immediately, FT January 2017. Contact Alison OF Phillips, FI MD: C E alisonphillips4@ SPACE mac.com, (781) 237-2335. BUSINESS SERVICES BUSINESS SERVICES LEGAL ADVICE FOR PSYCHIATRISTS Milton L. Kerstein, Esq. Andrew L. Hyams, Esq. Mr. Hyams, former General Counsel to the Bd. of Reg. in Medicine, and Mr. Kerstein provide legal services to psychiatrists and other health professionals in the following areas: • Licensing Board Complaints and Applications • Medicare/Medicaid Audits • Patient Confidentiality • Provider and Employer Contracts • Civil/Criminal Litigation As a service to Bulletin readers, we offer one free 15-minute consultation to discuss any general legal concerns. 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Available PT Massachusetts Psychiatric Society ♦ 40 Washington Street, Suite 201Massachusetts ♦ Wellesley, MA 02481-1802 Psychiatric Society 781-237-8100 ♦ Fax: 781-237-7625 ♦ Email: [email protected] ♦ [email protected] 781-237-8100 Fax: 781-464-4896 Brookline: Attractive, comfortable, quiet, reasonably priced 3 suite office near Coolidge Corner has opening PSYCHIATRIST for a full time or two 1/2 time clinicians as of January 2014. Street parking and near T. Call Jim HarburgerPSYCHIATRIST MD, 617-232-3822 or ATTENDING email [email protected] Tewksbury Hospital is a Joint Commission accredited Public Health HospitalPSYCHIATRISTS located about 23 miles north of Boston, MA near the intersection of Interstates 495 and 93. Tewksbury Hospital is looking for a full time Two Lifepsychiatrist. Style Choices inpatient The position is on a DMH intermediate care unit working a wide 1. Salary: $237,650 base forwith board cer-variety of patients with severe tified psychiatrist with and 1-2 persistent overnightmental illness. No per managed care orRecent after-hours on-call. call shifts month. salary Median LOS about 200 days. Competitive increases, generous signing bonus, ex- compensation. Work with angenerous excellent and personacellent fringe benefits, allowble group of psychiatrists. ance for license and board certification fees, CME fees and 6 weeks leave time For full information for or part contact: time psychiatrists. You Anthony MD intermediate care will workVagnucci, on a DMH Chiefwhere of Psychiatry, Tewksbury Hospital unit you can treat people with 978-851-7321 x2863 mental illness with chronic persistent [email protected] both therapy as well as medication due to the median 200 days LOS. Work with an excellent and personable group of Full STAFF PSYCHIATRIST POSTIONS. psychiatrists. and part-time positions are available for ADULT PSYCHIATRISTS in same our outpatient clinics in 2. Salary: $213,000 as above with Framingham, Marlboro and satellites. Advocates no overnight/weekend on call. Inc is a full-service, non-profit system serving Contact Anthony Vagnucci,and MD, Chief individuals with psychiatric developmental of Psychiatry, Tewksbury disabilities and other challengesHospital, in a strength978-851-7321 x2863, anthony.vagnucbased, person-centered and multi-disciplinary [email protected] setting. Excellent physicians are honored, and we offer a warm, friendly practice environment. Cambridge Psychiatric Services Compensation is competitive and benefits are PSYCHIATRISTS: in flexible available for 20 hoursInterested +. hours, competitive pay rates, and a schedule that fits your needs?Chris Gordon, MD, MediContact in confidence Qualified psychiatrists needed to procal Director at 508.628.6652 or at vide overnight, weekend, and holiday [email protected]. moonlighting coverage at area hospitals, clinics, and Psychiatric other psychiatric Cambridge Services facilities. For more information please call JesPSYCHIATRISTS: sica D’Angio at (617)864-7452 or at Interested in flexible hours, competitive pay [email protected] rates, and a schedule that fits your needs? Tewksbury Hospital Qualified psychiatrists needed to provide overHalf-time Psychiatrist (20 hours per night, weekend, and holiday moonlighting coverweek) age at area hospitals, clinics, and other psychiatExcellent salary and fringe benefits, ric facilities. signing bonus and generous leave time for psychiatrists. Positions For half-time more information please call available on a DMH intermediate care Jessica D’Angio at 617-864-7452 unit with a wide variety of or at working [email protected] patients with severe and persistent mental illness are available. Adult psychiatrist for part or full time.No Private managed care oforMD’s after &hours Group Practice PhD’s.on-call. CBT excluMedian LOS about days.diagnostics Work and sively. Services needed200 include with an excellent and personable group med management. of psychiatrists. Contact Anthony Contact: Peter W. Moran, Ph.D. Cornerstone Vagnucci, MD, Chief of Psychiatry, Behavioral Health, 469 Chandler St., Worcester, Tewksbury Hospital, 978-851-7321 MA 01602 or [email protected] x2863, [email protected] PO Box 549154 Waltham, MA 02454-9154 Email: [email protected] www.psychiatry-mps.org www.psychiatry-mps.org 9 7 Confusion regarding “New Requirements to Utilize the new Online PMP - Effective October 15, 2016” Bruce Black, MD “MassPAT” is the new Massachusetts Prescription Awareness For most psychiatrists (excluding psychiatrists in substance abuse Tool that replaced the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) treatment settings), we will only be required to check MassPAT the first time we prescribe a benzodiazepine. Those who prescribe in August (1). Schedule II or III narcotics, including buprenorphine and methaOn Oct 11, most Massachusetts psychiatrists received an email done, will be required to check MassPAT each time you prescribe from DPH regarding “New Requirements to Utilize the new On- a narcotic drug. line PMP - Effective October 15, 2016” (2). That email stated that Although you will not be required to check MassPAT each time beginning October 15: you refill a benzodiazepine prescription, or at all when prescrib• A registered individual practitioner must utilize MassPAT ing stimulant medications, MassPAT can be a very useful tool each time the practitioner issues a prescription to a pa- whenever you have any reason to suspect that a patient may be misusing, abusing, or diverting any controlled substance, or may tient for any Schedules II and III narcotic drug. • Prescribers must continue to check MassPAT the first time be obtaining prescriptions from more than one provider without they prescribe to a patient a benzodiazepine or any con- making you aware of this. I have found it helpful to routinely trolled substance in Scheduled IV or V which the Department check MassPAT each time I am prescribing a stimulant medication has designated in guidance as a drug that is commonly abused for the first time. and may lead to dependence. At this time, there are no drugs References that have received this designation. The embedded link in the October 11 email for “Schedules II and 1. http://www.massmed.org/Physicians/Practice-Management/ III” goes to a DEA web page that lists “Dexedrine, Adderall, and Practice-Ownership-and-Operations/Massachusetts-PreRitalin” among other Schedule II drugs (3). This seems to have scription-Awareness-Tool-(MassPAT)/#.WATYOvkrJhE led many physicians to conclude that we are required to utilize MassPAT each time we issue a prescription for a stimulant medi- 2. http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/ cation. This is not the case. hcq/drug-control/pmp/reporting-and-use.html. This sight also includes links to information regarding registering for The source of confusion seems to be in the interpretation of “any and using MassPAT. Schedules II and III narcotic drug.” Some have interpreted this phrase to imply that “Schedules II and III drug” is synonymous 3. https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml with “narcotic drug”. Although, most physicians tend to think of “narcotics” as applying only to opiate-like drugs, not everyone 4. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007489.htm uses the term the same way (4). In common usage, the term https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcotic is sometimes used to refer to all soporifics, including drugs like http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narcotic Ambien or benzodiazepines or even ketamine. In legal usage the http://www.dictionary.com/browse/narcotic (Includes televi- term is used to refer to all drugs of abuse, including drugs like sion in the definition of narcotic.) marijuana, LSD, PCP, and cocaine. 5. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules Fortunately, the DEA does classify drugs (5) into one of five https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/c_ schedules, and separately classify drugs as narcotic or not narcs_alpha.pdf cotic. Drugs classified as narcotic may fall under any of the five controlled substance schedules. Although stimulant medications 6. https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2016/Chap are all classified as schedule II drugs, they are NOT designated as ter52 narcotic drugs. Therefore, they do NOT fall under the mandate to utilize MassPAT each time we prescribe any Schedule II or III narcotic drug. Just to be certain of this interpretation, I emailed MassPAT and asked, “Are individual practitioners required to utilize MassPAT when prescribing a stimulant medication (such as methylphenidate, dexedrine, Adderall, amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, lisdexamfetamine)?” They responded as follows, “Stimulants are NOT required to be checked on MassPAT prior to prescribing.” There has also been some confusion regarding whether prescribers must utilize MassPAT when prescribing gabapentin. Although the state legislature has passed legislation directing DPH to designate gabapentin as an additional drug that will require prescribers to utilize MassPAT before prescribing for the first time, DPH has not yet issued regulation on this. Therefore, prescribers are NOT required to utilize MassPAT before prescribing gabapentin. (2 & 6) Happy Holidays!! The MPS Staff and Council would like to wish all of you and yours a very safe, happy and joyous holiday season! Massachusetts Psychiatric Society PO Box 549154 Waltham, MA 02454-9154 781-237-8100 Fax: 781-464-4896 Email: [email protected] www.psychiatry-mps.org
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