West Virginia Code § 16B-7-4

Operational requirements
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(a) Any person, partnership, association, or corporation that desires to operate a pain
management clinic in this state must submit to the director documentation that the facility
meets all of the following requirements:
(1) The clinic shall be licensed in this state with the director, the Secretary of State, the
State Tax Department, and all other applicable business or license entities.
(2) The application shall list all owners of the clinic. At least one owner shall be a physician
actively licensed to practice medicine, surgery, or osteopathic muedicine or surgery in this
state. The clinic shall notify the director of any change in ownership within 10 days of the
change and must submit a new application within the time frame prescribed by the director.
(3) Each pain management clinic shall designate a phyasician owner who shall practice at the
clinic and who will be responsible for the operation of the clinic. Within 10 days after
termination of a designated physician, the clinic shlall notify the director of the identity of
another designated physician for that clinic. Fsailing to have a licensed designated physician
practicing at the location of the clinic may be the basis for a suspension or revocation of the
clinic license. The designated physician shiall:
(A) Have a full, active, and unencumbered license to practice medicine, surgery, or
osteopathic medicine or surgery in this state:
(B) Meet one of the following training requirements:
(i) Complete a pain medicine fellowship that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for
Graduate Medical Ed ucation or such other similar program as may be approved by the
director; or V
(ii) Hold current board certification by the American Board of Pain Medicine or current
board certification by the American Board of Anesthesiology or such other board
certification as may be approved by the director.
(C) Practice at the licensed clinic location for which the physician has assumed
responsibility;
(D) Be responsible for complying with all requirements related to the licensing and operation
of the clinic;
(E) Supervise, control, and direct the activities of each individual working or operating at the
facility, including any employee, volunteer, or individual under contract, who provides
treatment of chronic pain at the clinic or is associated with the provision of that treatment.
The supervision, control, and direction shall be provided in accordance with rules
promulgated by the Inspector General.
(4) All persons employed by the facility shall comply with the requirements for the operation
of a pain management clinic established by this article or by any rule adopted pursuant to
this article.
(5) No person may own or be employed by or associated with a pain management clinic who
has previously been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, any felony in this state or another
state or territory of the United States. All owners, employees, volunteers, ore associates of the
clinic shall undergo a criminal records check prior to operation of the clinic or engaging in
any work, paid or otherwise, pursuant to §16B-15-1 et seq. of this code.r
(6) The clinic may not be owned by, nor may it employ or associaute with, any physician or
prescriber:
(A) Whose Drug Enforcement Administration number has ever been revoked;
(B) Whose application for a license to prescribe, dispense, or administer a controlled
substance has been denied by any jurisdiction; or l
(C) Who, in any jurisdiction of this state or any other state or territory of the United States,
has been convicted of or plead guilty or noilo contendere to an offense that constitutes a
felony for receipt of illicit and diverted drugs, including controlled substances, as defined by
§60A-1-101 of this code.
(7) A person may not dispense any medication, including a controlled substance, as defined
by section §60A-1-101 of this code, on the premises of a licensed pain management clinic
unless he or she is a physician or pharmacist licensed in this state. Prior to dispensing or
prescribing controlled substances, as defined by §60A-1-101 of this code, at a pain
management clinic, t he treating physician must access the Controlled Substances
Monitoring PrVogram database maintained by the Board of Pharmacy to ensure the patient is
not seeking controlled substances from multiple sources. If the patient receives ongoing
treatment, the physician shall also review the Controlled Substances Monitoring Program
database at each patient examination or at least every 90 days. The results obtained from
the Controlled Substances Monitoring Program database shall be maintained with the
patient's medical records.
(8) Each clinic location shall be licensed separately, regardless of whether the clinic is
operated under the same business name or management as another clinic.
(9) A pain management clinic shall not dispense to any patient more than a 72-hour supply of
a controlled substance, as defined by §60A-1-101 of this code.
(10) The pain management clinic shall develop patient protocols, treatment plans, and
profiles, as prescribed by the Inspector General by rule, and which shall include, but not be
limited by, the following guidelines:
(A) When a physician diagnoses an individual as having chronic pain, the physician may treat
the pain by managing it with medications in amounts or combinations that may not be
appropriate when treating other medical conditions. The physician's diagnosis shall be made
after having the individual evaluated by one or more other physicians who specialize in the
treatment of the area, system, or organ of the body perceived as the source of the pain
unless the individual has been previously diagnosed as suffering from chronic pain and is
referred to the pain management clinic by such diagnosing physician. The physician's
diagnosis and treatment decisions shall be made according to accepted ande prevailing
standards for medical care.
(B) The physician shall maintain a record of all of the following:
(i) Medical history and physical examination of the individual;
(ii) The diagnosis of chronic pain, including signs, symptoms, and causes;
(iii) The plan of treatment proposed, the patient's response to the treatment, and any
modification to the plan of treatment; l
(iv) The dates on which any medications were prescribed, dispensed, or administered, the
name and address of the individual to or foir whom the medications were prescribed,
dispensed, or administered and the amounts and dosage forms for the drugs prescribed,
dispensed, or administered; and
(v) A copy of the report made by the physician to whom referral for evaluation was made.
(C) A physician, physician assistant, certified registered nurse anesthetist, or advanced
nurse practitioner shall perform a physical examination of a patient on the same day that the
physician initially pre scribes, dispenses or administers a controlled substance to a patient,
and at least foVur times a year thereafter at a pain management clinic according to accepted
and prevailing standards for medical care.
(D) A physician authorized to prescribe controlled substances who practices at a pain
management clinic is responsible for maintaining the control and security of his or her
prescription blanks and any other method used for prescribing controlled substance pain
medication. The physician shall comply with all state and federal requirements for tamper-
resistant prescription paper. In addition to any other requirements imposed by statute or
rule, the physician shall notify the director in writing within 24 hours following any theft or
loss of a prescription blank or breach of any other method for prescribing pain medication.
(c) Upon satisfaction that an applicant has met all of the requirements of this article, the
director may issue a license to operate a pain management clinic. An entity that obtains this
license may possess, have custody or control of, and dispense drugs designated as Schedule
II or Schedule III in §60A-2-206 or §60A-2-208 of this code.

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