MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Dear DC Licensees,

It is hard to believe that we are midway through the Autumn season! The leaves are changing colors andschool is in full swing. Here at the Board of Medicine (Board), October means renewals. By this time you should have received a mailer to your address on file addressing the renewal process. This renewal period DC Health is implementing a new online renewal platform that will provide a more efficient and user friendly experience. Thisnew system has required the implementation ofvarious changes to support it. As a result, the beginning of the renewal period has been postponed to late October. Licensees of the Board will be notified as soon as more details become available.

In the meanwhile, please use this time to gather all your Continuing Education (CE) credits and be sure that you are compliant with our requirements here in the District.For physicians, licensees must complete a minimum of fifty (50) CE hours between 1/1/2017 and 12/31/2018. Furthermore, of those fifty (50) hours, three (3) must be in the subject of HIV/AIDs, two (2) in the subject of LGBTQ Cultural Competency, and a course in the subject of pharmacology. The CE requirements for all other professions under the Board can be found on our website atwww.dchealth.dc.gov/bomed. This cycle you will be required to upload proof of your completed CE's.

In addition to CE, all licensees of the Board will be required to undergo new criminal background checks (CBC). However, this renewal period the CBC will be a name based search, performed by DC Health. Licensees will not have to take any action other than agree to the CBC during the renewal process, and pay the requisite fee of $50.00.

While you are gearing up for your renewal, I would like to call your attention to four (4) exciting matters:

1. Physician Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) – Sign up to monitor controlled substance prescriptions for your patients. You can also access informative CME on opioid prescribing and other related services. DC Health encourages its licensed physicians to enroll and participate in the PDMP.
2. DC Medical Reserve Corp (MRC) – A network of local medical volunteers who are willing to donate their time during emergencies and other times of community need like parades or inaugurations. All volunteers receive comprehensive instruction in areas of emergency response. The DC MRC is actively recruiting for medical and public health professionals.
3. Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) – The DC Council approved DC’s participation in the IMLC in June 2018. The program offers a new, voluntary expedited pathway to licensure for qualified physicians who wish to practice in multiple states.
4. Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST) – This program allows terminally ill patients to determine their end of life treatment in conjunction with their health care providers. More information can be found here.

As a reminder, the Board meets on the last Wednesday of every month at 8:30 am at the offices of DC Health (899 North Capitol Street NE, 2^nd Floor, Washington, DC 20002). We welcome any licensee or member of the public to come and attend.

As always, thank you for all that you do to enhance the health of the residents of the District of Columbia.

In Service,

Andrea Anderson, MD, FAAFP

Family Physician

Chair, DC Board of Medicine

MESSAGE FROM DC HEALTH

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Act of 2013, which became effective February 22, 2014, required the Director of the Department of Health (DC Health) to establish a multi-discipline advisory committee for the purpose of assisting in the implementation and evaluation of the District of Columbia PDMP.

The PDMP Advisory Committee has met quarterly throughout calendar year 2018 and, as the chair of the Committee, I would like to encourage all eligible providers to register for the DC PDMP when you renew this year.

As reported by the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the District has experienced a 196% increase in opioid-related fatal overdoses from 2014 to 2017. Furthermore, there was an increase in opioid overdoses between 2016 and 2017 and there has been a steady increase in the total number of opioids found in fatal overdoses between 2014 and 2017.

The misuse of and addiction to opioids is a serious national crisis that affects the health of the public. Once you are registered for the PDMP, you will be able to check the PDMP to:

• Aid you in making more informed decisions prior to prescribing controlled prescription medications to your patients thereby reducing the potential for patient abuse and misuse.
• Receive quarterly Prescriber Reports (sample below) in your PDMP account that summarize various metrics to include the number of your patients receiving opioids, the number of opioid prescriptions written by you and a comparison to the prescribing of peers within your specialty, morphine milligram equivalent dosing information, opioid treatment duration, and more.

Currently, only 12% of physicians and 20% of physician assistants in the District of Columbia are registered in the DC PDMP.

It’s time to renew and register for the DC PDMP!

Jacqueline A. Watson, DO, MBA

Chief of Staff, DC Health

Chair, DCPDMP Advisory Committee

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

By now all licensees with the Board of Medicine should have received their renewal notice at the mailing address provided to the Board. While the renewal notice stated that online renewals would begin on October 1st, the system has been delayed due to ongoing development and testing. Once the system is live, we will send an email notification to all licensees notifying them of this change, as well as updating our website. In preparation for renewals, I would like to take a moment to remind people of a few key points.

Paperless Renewals

This years renewals are completely online and paperless. This means applicants will have to go online and complete an electronic renewal, as well as electronically upload relevant documents (e.g., proof of CE). Before beginning the renewal process, LICENSEES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO SCAN ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS (e.g., proof of CE) AND HAVE THEM SAVED ON THEIR LOCAL DESKTOP IN PDF FORMAT, READY FOR UPLOAD DURING THE RENEWAL PROCESS.

Proof of CE

Licensees this renewal cycle will have three options to choose from when certifying their CE.

First, Licensees can indicate they have completed all required CE as of the date of renewal. In that scenario, Licensees will be required to upload proof of continuing education (CE). This proof can be in the form of separateCE certificates or CE transcripts issued by your certifying Board (e.g., ABMS or AOA), so long as they identify the hours awarded, whether the credits are AMA/AOA approved, and the title of the course.

Second, Licensees can indicate they haveNOT yet completed the required CE, but will do so by December 31, 2018. In this scenario, Licensees can complete the renewal without uploading CE, but must come back and upload such CE by December 31, 2018.

Lastly, for those Licensees who are renewing for the first time, they can select the option stating they are exempt from CE.

More Info to Come!

Once the renewal system is online, a notification will be sent to all licensees, This notification will include a link to the renewal site, as well as a detailed user guide outlining the various elements of the renewal process. Look for this email to come in the next week.

Frank B. Meyers, JD

Executive Director

Board of Medicine