Washington Administrative Code
Title 246 - Health, Department of
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LICENSING
Chapter 246-918 - Physician assistants Washington medical commission
OPIOID PRESCRIBING-PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAM
Section 246-918-935 - Prescription monitoring program-Required registration, queries, and documentation

(1) The physician assistant shall register to access the PMP or demonstrate proof of having assured access to the PMP if they prescribe Schedule II-V medications in Washington state.

(2) The physician assistant is permitted to delegate performance of a required PMP query to an authorized designee.

(3) At a minimum, the physician assistant shall ensure a PMP query is performed prior to the prescription of an opioid or of a medication listed in WAC 246-918-920 at the following times:

(4) For chronic pain management, the physician assistant shall ensure a PMP query is performed at a minimum frequency determined by the patient's risk assessment, as follows:

(5) The physician assistant shall ensure a PMP query is performed for any chronic pain patient immediately upon identification of aberrant behavior.

(6) The physician assistant shall ensure a PMP query is performed when providing episodic care to a patient who the physician assistant knows to be receiving opioids for chronic pain, in accordance with WAC 246-918-915.

(7) If the physician assistant is using an electronic medical record (EMR) that integrates access to the PMP into the workflow of the EMR, the physician assistant shall ensure a PMP query is performed for all prescriptions of opioids and medications listed in WAC 246-918-920.

(8) For the purposes of this section, the requirement to consult the PMP does not apply when the PMP or the EMR cannot be accessed by the physician assistant or their designee due to a temporary technological or electrical failure.

(9) Pertinent concerns discovered in the PMP shall be documented in the patient record.