HB 547 Summary

• Pain Management Clinic Licensing: Establishes new licensing requirements for pain management clinics as terminal distributors of dangerous drugs, requiring ownership by physicians only and compliance with state medical board rules governing clinic operations.

• Criminal Records Checks: Requires pain management clinic owners and employees to submit to criminal records checks; prohibits employment of individuals with felony convictions and bars wholesale drug distributors from supplying unlicensed pain management clinics.

• Chronic Pain Definition Change: Replaces "intractable pain" with "chronic pain" (defined as pain persisting longer than three months after reasonable medical efforts) in physician prescribing standards and continuing medical education requirements.

• Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System Modifications: Expands database access to include pharmacists and prescriber agents; adds new restrictions on dissemination and use of database information; creates a drug database fund for operational expenses.

• Medical Board Authority: Grants the state medical board authority to suspend pain management clinic operator licenses without prior hearing if clinic employees violate regulations, and allows penalties up to $5,000 for non-compliance with pain management clinic requirements.