TITLE 16 OCCUPATIONAL
AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING
CHAPTER 22 PSYCHOLOGISTS AND PSYCHOLOGIST ASSOCIATES
PART 20 CONDITIONAL
PRESCRIPTION CERTIFICATE; PRESCRIPTION CERTIFICATE:
HEALTH
CARE PRACTITIONER COLLABORATION GUIDELINES
16.22.20.1 ISSUING AGENCY: Regulation and Licensing Department Board of
Psychologist Examiners.
[16.22.20.1 NMAC -
Rp, 16.22.20.1 NMAC, 11/15/06]
16.22.20.2 SCOPE: This
part applies to psychologists with conditional prescription certificate, and
the general public.
[16.22.20.2 NMAC -
Rp, 16.22.20.2 NMAC, 11/15/06]
16.22.20.3 STATUTORY
AUTHORITY: This part is adopted
pursuant to the Professional Psychologist Act, NMSA 1978 Section 61-9-17.2
[16.22.20.3 NMAC -
Rp, 16.22.20.3 NMAC, 11/15/06]
16.22.20.4 DURATION:
Permanent.
[16.22.20.4 NMAC -
Rp, 16.22.20.4 NMAC, 11/15/06]
16.22.20.5 EFFECTIVE DATE:
November 15, 2006, unless a later date is cited at the end of the
section.
[16.22.20.5 NMAC -
Rp, 16.22.20.5 NMAC, 11/15/06]
16.22.20.6 OBJECTIVE: The
objective of Part 20 is to set forth the provisions, which apply to all of
Chapter 22, and all persons affected or regulated by Chapter 22 of Title 16.
[16.22.20.6 NMAC -
Rp, 16.22.20.6 NMAC, 11/15/06]
16.22.20.7 DEFINITIONS: [RESERVED]
[Refer to 16.22.1.7
NMAC]
16.22.20.8 CONDITIONAL PRESCRIPTION
CERTIFICATE OR PRESCRIPTION CERTIFICATE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER COLLABORATION
GUIDELINES:
A. A conditional prescribing or prescribing psychologist
shall obtain a release of information from the patient or the patient’s legal
guardian authorizing the psychologist to contact the patient’s primary treating
health care practitioner, as required by law.
B. If a patient or the patient’s legal guardian refuses to
sign a release of information for the patient’s primary treating health care
practitioner, the conditional prescribing or prescribing psychologist shall
inform the patient or the patient’s legal guardian that the psychologist cannot
treat the patient pharmacologically without an ongoing collaborative
relationship with the primary treating health care practitioner. The psychologist shall refer the patient to
another mental health care provider who is not required to maintain an ongoing
collaborative relationship with a health care practitioner.
C. A conditional prescribing or prescribing psychologist
shall contact the primary treating health care practitioner prior to
prescribing medication to the patient.
(1) The conditional prescribing or prescribing
psychologist shall inform the primary treating health care practitioner the
medications the psychologist intends to prescribe for mental illness and any
laboratory tests that the psychologist ordered or reviewed and shall discuss
the relevant indications and contraindications to the patient of prescribing
these medications.
(2) The conditional prescribing or prescribing
psychologist shall document the date and time of contacts with the primary
treating health care practitioner, a summary of what was discussed, and the
outcome of the discussions or decisions reached.
(3) If the primary treating health care
practitioner and the conditional prescribing or prescribing psychologist do not
agree about a particular psychopharmacological treatment strategy, the
psychologist shall document the reasons for recommending the
psychopharmacological treatment strategy that is in disagreement and shall
inform the primary treating health care practitioner of that
recommendation. If the primary treating
health care practitioner believes the medication is contraindicated because of
a patient’s medical condition, the conditional prescribing or prescribing
psychologist shall defer to the judgment of the primary treating health care
practitioner and shall not prescribe.
(4) If a
conditional prescribing or prescribing psychologist determines that an
emergency exists that may jeopardize the health or well being of the patient,
the psychologist may, without prior consultation with the patient’s primary
treating health care practitioner, prescribe psychotropic medications or modify
an existing prescription for psychotropic medication previously written for
that patient by that psychologist. The
conditional prescribing or prescribing psychologist shall consult with the
primary treating health care practitioner as required herein as soon as
possible. The conditional prescribing or
prescribing psychologist shall document in the patient’s psychological
evaluation/treatment file the nature and extent of the emergency and the attempt(s)
made to contact the primary treating health care practitioner prior to
prescribing or other reason why contact could not be made.
(5) If a conditional prescribing psychologist
or prescribing psychologist is working in a declared emergency/disaster area,
the on-site medical staff can serve as the evaluating primary care physician.
D. If a patient does not have a primary treating health care
practitioner, the conditional prescribing or prescribing psychologist shall
refer the patient to a health care practitioner prior to psychopharmacological
treatment. The psychologist must receive the results of the health care
practitioner’s assessment and shall contact the health care practitioner as
required herein prior to prescribing.
E. Once the collaborative relationship is established with
the primary treating health care practitioner, the conditional prescribing or
prescribing psychologist shall maintain and document the collaborative
relationship to ensure that relevant information is exchanged accurately and in
a timely manner. The ongoing
collaborative relationship shall be maintained pursuant to the following
guidelines.
(1) A conditional prescribing or prescribing
psychologist shall contact the primary treating health care practitioner for
any changes in medication not previously discussed with the primary treating
health care practitioner.
(2) A conditional prescribing or prescribing
psychologist shall contact the primary treating health care practitioner if and
when the patient experiences adverse effects from medications prescribed by the
psychologist that may be related to the patient’s medical condition for which
he or she is being treated by a health care practitioner.
(3) A conditional prescribing or prescribing
psychologist shall contact the primary treating health care practitioner
regarding results of laboratory tests related to the medical care of the
patient that have been ordered by the psychologist in conjunction with
psychopharmacological treatment.
(4) The patient’s treating health care
practitioner shall inform a conditional prescribing or prescribing psychologist
of any new medical diagnosis or changes in the patient’s medical condition that
may affect the treatment being provided by the psychologist.
(5) A conditional prescribing or prescribing
psychologist shall inform a treating health care practitioner as soon as
possible of any change in the patient’s psychological condition that may affect
the medical treatment being provided by the health care practitioner.
(6) The patient’s primary treating or other
health care practitioner shall inform the conditional prescribing or prescribing
psychologist of any psychotropic medications prescribed or discontinued by the
primary or other treating health care practitioner, the dates of any subsequent
changes in psychotropic medications prescribed by the primary or other treating
health care practitioner, and the efforts to coordinate the mental health care
of the patent as soon as possible.
[16.22.20.8 NMAC -
Rp, 16.22.20.8 NMAC, 11/15/06]
HISTORY OF
16.22.20 NMAC:
History of Repealed Material:
16.22.20 NMAC,
Health Care Practitioner Collaboration Guidelines - Repealed 11/15/06