B. Initial certification and registrants.

1. (1) The board may certify and register a pharmacist as a pharmacist clinician upon completion of an application for certification and satisfaction of the requirements set forth in these regulations.
2. (2) A pharmacist who applies for certification and registration as a pharmacist clinician shall complete application forms as required by the board and shall pay a fee. The fee shall be set by the board to defray the cost of processing the application, which fee is not returnable.

3. (3) To obtain initial certification and registration as a pharmacist clinician, the following must be submitted:

   1. (a) proof of completion of 60 hour board approved physical assessment course, followed by a 150 hour, 300 patient contact preceptorship supervised by a physician or other practitioner with prescriptive authority, with hours counted only during direct patient interactions;
   2. (b) the applicant will submit a log of patient encounters as part of the application;
   3. (c) patient encounters must be initiated and completed within two years of the application;
   4. (d) a pharmacist clinician requesting a controlled substance registration to prescribe controlled substance in schedule II or schedule III shall be trained in responsible opioid prescribing practices. Educational programs shall include an understanding of the pharmacology and risks of controlled substances, a basic awareness of the problems of abuse, addiction, and diversion, and awareness of the state and federal regulations of the prescribing of controlled substances.
4. (4) The board shall register each pharmacist certified as a pharmacist clinician.
5. (5) Upon certification and registration by the board, the name and address of the pharmacist clinician, (name of the supervising physician if applicable), and other pertinent information shall be enrolled by the board on a roster of pharmacist clinicians.

C. Biennial renewal of registration.

1. (1) Renewal applications shall be submitted prior to the license expiration.

2. (2) Applications for renewal must include:

   1. (a) documentation of continuing education hours, including proof of completion of 2.0 CEU 20 contact hours, at least 10 of which will be live CPE or continuing medical education (CME) approved by (ACPE) or ACCME (live programs provided by other continuing education providers may be submitted for review and approval to the board), beyond the required hours in 16.19.4.10 NMAC (as amended), as required by the board; and
   2. (b) a pharmacist clinician with a controlled substance registration to prescribe controlled substances listed in schedule II or schedule III shall complete a minimum of 0.2 CEU (two contact hours) per renewal period in the subject area of responsible opioid prescribing practices, and
   3. (c) a current protocol of collaborative practice signed by the supervising physician (if prescriptive authority is sought); and
   4. (d) a copy of the pharmacist clinician’s registration with the supervising physicians board (if prescriptive authority is sought); and
   5. (e) other additional information as requested by the board.

D. Prescriptive authority, guidelines or protocol.

1. (1) Only a registered pharmacist clinician with current protocols, registered with the New Mexico medical board may exercise prescriptive authority.
2. (2) A pharmacist clinician seeking to exercise prescriptive authority shall submit an application to the board. The application must include the supervising physicians’ name and current medical license, protocol of collaborative practice and other information requested by the board. A pharmacist may submit the application with the initial application for certification or as a separate application after becoming certified and registered as a pharmacist clinician.
3. (3) The protocol will be established and approved by the supervising physician as set forth in these regulations and will be kept on file at each practice site of the pharmacist clinician and with the board.

4. (4) The protocol must include:

   1. (a) name of the physician(s) authorized to prescribe dangerous drugs and name of the pharmacist clinician;

   2. (b) statement of the types of prescriptive authority decisions the pharmacist clinician is authorized to make, including, but not limited to:

      1. (i) types of diseases, dangerous drugs or dangerous drug categories involved and the type of prescriptive authority authorized in each case;
      2. (ii) ordering lab tests and other tests appropriate for monitoring of drug therapy;
      3. (iii) procedures, decision criteria or plan the pharmacist clinician is to follow when exercising prescriptive authority;
   3. (c) activities to be followed by the pharmacist clinician while exercising prescriptive authority, including documentation of feedback to the authorizing physician concerning specific decisions made; documentation may be made on the prescriptive record, patient profile, patient medical chart or in a separate log book;
   4. (d) description of appropriate mechanisms for consulting with the supervising physician, including a quality assurance program for review of medical services provided by the pharmacist clinician, (this quality assurance program will be available for board review); and
   5. (e) description of the scope of practice of the pharmacist clinician.
5. (5) Pharmacist clinicians shall not prescribe dangerous drugs including controlled substances for self-treatment or treatment of immediate family members, except under emergency situations. This will not apply to medications that may be prescribed under 16.19.26 NMAC.

E. Scope of practice.

1. (1) A pharmacist clinician shall perform only those services that are delineated in the protocol and are within the scope of practice of the supervising physician or alternate supervising physician(s).
2. (2) A pharmacist clinician may practice in a health care institution within the policies of that institution.

3. (3) A pharmacist clinician may prescribe controlled substances provided that the pharmacist clinician:

   1. (a) has obtained a New Mexico controlled substances registration and a drug enforcement agency registration, and
   2. (b) prescribes controlled substances within the parameters of written guidelines or protocols established under these regulations and Subsection A of 61-11B-3 NMSA 1978 of the Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority Act.
4. (4) The board may, in its discretion after investigation and evaluation, place limitations on the tasks a pharmacist clinician may perform under the authority and direction of a supervising physician or alternate supervising physician(s).

F. Prescription monitoring program:

1. (1) A pharmacist clinician exercising prescriptive authority in the prescribing of a controlled substance;

   1. (a) shall register with the board to become a regular participant in PMP inquiry and reporting;
   2. (b) may authorize delegate(s) to access the PMP report consistent with 16.19.29 NMAC; while a pharmacist clinician’s delegate may obtain a report from the states’ PMP, the pharmacist clinician is solely responsible for reviewing the PMP report and documenting the receipt and review of a report in the patient’s medical record;
   3. (c) before a pharmacist clinician prescribes for the first time, a controlled substance in schedule II, III or IV to a patient for a period greater than four days, or if there is a gap in prescribing the controlled substance for 30 days or more, the pharmacist clinician shall review a PMP report for the patient for the preceding 12 months; when available, the pharmacist clinician shall review similar reports from adjacent states; the pharmacist clinician shall document the receipt and review of such reports in the patient’s medical record;

   4. (d) a PMP report shall be;

      1. (i) reviewed a minimum of once every three months during the continuous use of an opioid, benzodiazepine, or carisoprodol for each patient; and
      2. (ii) reviewed a minimum of once every six months during the continuous use of a controlled substance in schedule II, III or IV which is not an opioid, benzodiazepine, or carisoprodol for each patient; and
      3. (iii) the pharmacist clinician shall document the review of these reports in the patient’s medical record; nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing a pharmacist clinician from reviewing PMP reports with greater frequency than that required by this section;

   5. (e) a pharmacist clinician does not have to obtain and review a PMP report before prescribing, ordering, or dispensing a controlled substance in schedule II, III or IV;

      1. (i) to a patient in a nursing facility; or
      2. (ii) to a patient in hospice care.

   6. (f) upon review of a PMP report for a patient, the pharmacist clinician shall identify and be aware of a patient currently receiving:

      1. (i) opioids from multiple prescribers;
      2. (ii) opioids and benzodiazepines concurrently;
      3. (iii) opioids for more than 12 consecutive weeks;
      4. (iv) more than one controlled substance analgesic;
      5. (v) opioids totaling more than 90 morphine milligram equivalents per day;
      6. (vi) exhibiting potential for abuse or misuse of opioids and other controlled substances, such as over-utilization, requests to fill early, requests for specific opioids, requests to pay cash when insurance is available, receiving opioids from multiple pharmacies.
   7. (g) upon recognizing any of the above conditions described in Subparagraph (f) of Paragraph (1) of Subsection F of 16.19.4.17 NMAC, the pharmacist clinician using professional judgment based on prevailing standards of practice, shall take action as appropriate to prevent, mitigate, or resolve any potential problems or risks that may result in opioid misuse, abuse, or overdose; these steps may involve counseling the patient on known risks and realistic benefits of opioid therapy, prescription and training for naloxone, consultation with or referral to a pain management specialist, offering or arranging treatment for opioid or substance use disorder; the pharmacist clinician shall document actions taken to prevent, mitigate, or resolve the potential problems or risks.
2. (2) Pharmacist clinicians licensed to practice in an opioid treatment program, shall review a PMP report upon a patients’ initial enrollment into the opioid treatment program and every three months thereafter while prescribing, ordering, administering, or dispensing opioid treatment medications in schedule II or III for the purpose of treating opioid use disorder. The pharmacist clinician shall document the receipt and review of a report in the patients’ medical record.

G. Complaints and appeals.

1. (1) The chair of the board will appoint two members of the board, and the chair of the supervising physician board will appoint two members of the board to the oversight committee; the oversight committee will review complaints concerning the pharmacist clinician practice; the oversight committee will make a report that may include non-binding recommendations to the board regarding disciplinary action. The board can accept or reject the recommendations.

2. (2) Any applicant for certification or any pharmacist clinician may appeal a decision of the board in accordance with the provisions of the Uniform Licensing Act, Sections 61-1-1 to 61-1-37 NMSA 1978.

   [3/14/1998; 16.19.4.17 NMAC - Rn, 16 NMAC 19.4.17, 3/30/2002; 16.19.4.17 NMAC - Rn, 16.19.4.18 NMAC, 12/15/2002; A, 9/30/2003; A, 1/31/2007; A, 5/14/2010; A, 8/16/2010; A, 10/25/2012; A, 3/23/2013; A, 6/29/2013; A, 8/12/2013; A, 10/19/2019; A 9/14/2021; A, 9/13/2022; A, 5/07/2024]