(1) On or after July 1, 2014, all prescribers who hold a current federal drug enforcement administration (DEA) license and who prescribe controlled substances shall be required to complete a minimum of two (2) hours of continuing education related to controlled substance prescribing biennially to count toward the licensees' mandatory continuing education.
(2) The continuing education must include instruction in the department's treatment guidelines on opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and carisoprodol, and may include such other topics as medicine addiction, risk management tools, and other topics as approved by the respective licensing boards.
(3) This section shall not apply to veterinarians, providers practicing at a registered pain management clinic as defined in § 63-1-301 or to medical doctors or osteopathic physicians board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) in one (1) or more of the following specialties or subspecialties: Pain management;
(4) Anesthesiology;
(5) Physical medicine and rehabilitation;
(6) Neurology; or
(7) Rheumatology.