1. The Executive Director of the Board or his or her designee shall review and evaluate any complaint or information received from the Investigation Division of the Department of Public Safety or the State Board of Pharmacy, including, without limitation, information provided pursuant to NRS 453.164, or from a law enforcement agency, professional licensing board or any other source indicating that:
(a) A licensee has issued a fraudulent, illegal, unauthorized or otherwise inappropriate prescription for a controlled substance listed in schedule III or IV;
(b) A pattern of prescriptions issued by a licensee indicates that the licensee has issued prescriptions in the manner described in paragraph (a); or
(c) A patient of a licensee has acquired, used or possessed a controlled substance listed in schedule III or IV in a fraudulent, illegal, unauthorized or otherwise inappropriate manner.
2. If the Executive Director of the Board or his or her designee receives information described in subsection 1 concerning the licensee, the Executive Director or his or her designee must notify the licensee as soon as practicable after receiving the information.
3. A review and evaluation conducted pursuant to subsection 1 must include, without limitation:
(a) A review of relevant information contained in the database of the program established pursuant to NRS 453.162; and
(b) A request for additional relevant information from the licensee who is the subject of the review and evaluation.
4. If, after a review and evaluation conducted pursuant to subsection 1, the Executive Director or his or her designee determines that a licensee may have issued a fraudulent, illegal, unauthorized or otherwise inappropriate prescription for a controlled substance listed in schedule III or IV, the Board must proceed as if a written complaint had been filed against the licensee. If, after conducting an investigation and a hearing in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, the Board determines that the licensee issued a fraudulent, illegal, unauthorized or otherwise inappropriate prescription, the Board must impose appropriate disciplinary action.
5. When deemed appropriate, the Executive Director of the Board may:
(a) Refer information acquired during a review and evaluation conducted pursuant to subsection 1 to another professional licensing board, law enforcement agency or other appropriate governmental entity for investigation and criminal or administrative proceedings.
(b) Postpone any notification, review or part of such a review required by this section if he or she determines that it is necessary to avoid interfering with any pending administrative or criminal investigation into the suspected fraudulent, illegal, unauthorized or otherwise inappropriate prescribing, dispensing or use of a controlled substance.
6. The Board shall:
(a) Adopt regulations providing for disciplinary action against a licensee for inappropriately prescribing a controlled substance listed in schedule III or IV or violating the provisions of NRS 639.2391 to 639.23916, inclusive, and any regulations adopted by the State Board of Pharmacy pursuant thereto. Such disciplinary action must include, without limitation, requiring the licensee to complete additional continuing education concerning prescribing controlled substances listed in schedules III and IV.
(b) Develop and disseminate to each optometrist who is certified to prescribe and administer pharmaceutical agents pursuant to NRS 636.288 or make available on the Internet website of the Board an explanation or a technical advisory bulletin to inform those optometrists of the requirements of this section and NRS 636.339, 639.23507 and 639.2391 to 639.23916, inclusive, and any regulations adopted pursuant thereto. The Board shall update the explanation or bulletin as necessary to include any revisions to those provisions of law or regulations. The explanation or bulletin must include, without limitation, an explanation of the requirements that apply to specific controlled substances or categories of controlled substances.
(Added to NRS by 2017, 4427; A 2019, 2134, 3657)