Montana Board of Medical Examiners
Due to the COVID-19 situation in Montana, all Montana Department of Labor & Industry offices are closed to the public to protect the health and safety of our clients and staff. Our services are available through remote delivery. We are available to assist customers through our online public portal at EBIZ.MT.GOV/POL (Professional and Occupational Licenses) and EBIZ.MT.GOV (for Permits). For other services, please contact us via email at DLIBSDWEBHELP@MT.GOV or by phone (406) 841-2300.
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry has implemented interstate licensure registration for out of state licensees in response to COVID-19. Licensed professionals from out of state can register in Montana to work for a defined period of time.
Click the button for information regarding:
COVID-19 Emergency Healthcare Registration
Prescribing and Dispensing Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine During the COVID-19 Pandemic
If you have questions about licenses and requirements for forensic medical examiners, morticians, coroners, crematory operators or technicians, please see the Board of Funeral Service.
Emergency amendment of ARM 24.156.2771
The Board has made an emergency care provider (ECP) scope of practice. The change specifically relates to ECPs currently licensed and in good standing in another state and how they may function during state or federally managed incident.
The board has determined that public safety is not compromised by allowing EMTs to practice at the basic EMT level--rather than the previously listed emergency medical responder (EMR) level--without medical direction.
The changes to the rule allow that "the ECP practices only at the level licensed in another state; however, if the ECP is licensed above the basic EMT level, the practice above a basic EMT level may only occur if the ECP has medical direction oversight provided by a Montana licensed physician or physician assistant approved by the board as a medical director, and the medical director authorizes the ECP to function beyond the basic EMT level."
A standard rulemaking procedure will be undertaken prior to the expiration
of this temporary emergency amendment. The notice may be view by clicking on the link below.
NOTICE OF TEMPORARY EMERGENCY RULE AMENDMENT
Welcome to the Montana Board of Medical Examiners
Mission Statement: The mission of the Board of Medical Examiners is to protect the health, safety and well being of Montana citizens through the licensing of competent health professionals and by the regulation of the related practices to promote the delivery of quality health care.
COVID-19 Implications
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New Licensees/Applicants:
The board recognizes that the current pandemic has created discord in the normal application, examination, and licensure process. We are striving to address these concerns and potential roadblocks as quickly as possible; however, please understand that this will not occur overnight. The board must continue its public safety mission while adapting to daily changes occurring from the pandemic. For now, applicants are encouraged to begin their application for licensure and to complete as much of the required information as possible. Applications remain valid for one (1) year under normal circumstances. If you submit your application and an item is missing, our licensing specialist will work with you to complete the application. We do not deny applicants for submitting an incomplete application. By completing the application’s remaining parts, exempting exams, etc., you can get ahead on the licensure process.
The board is continuing to monitor the pandemic and will update this website as a point of public communication. Please make sure your e-mail is up to date in our licensing records using the change address form on the right side of this web-page or e-mailing the help desk at dlibsdhelp@mt.gov.
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Attention Emergency Care Providers:
The Department of Labor & Industry understands that due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak many of the continuing education(CE) venues and refresher courses are being cancelled, leading to increased difficulty for ECPs to meet the CE requirements pursuant to Montana Administrative Rule 24.156.2718.
The Department is unable to extend the renewal period for ECP licenses but will allow additional time to fulfill the requirements for refresher and other continuing education. When renewing online or by paper application, ECPs will need to attest to their understanding of the process and fulfill their CE requirements as soon as possible. However, audits will not be conducted for at least six to eight months to give ECPs additional time to complete the refresher course and CE requirements.
The Department strongly urges all ECPs that have licenses that will expire on March 31, 2020 to renew the license regardless of whether or not they have obtained the proper amount of CE. The Department is diligently planning an alternative to our normal audit process to account for licensees that were not able to meet their CE requirements due to the recent outbreak.
Please click the button to reach the ECP are of this website.
ECP Area
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Prescriber Restrictions for Opioid-Naïve Patients:
Effective October 1, 2019, Section 2 of House Bill 86, enacted by the 2019 Montana Legislature, restricts the prescribing of opioids to opioid-naïve patients to a 7-day supply except in certain circumstances. The new law states: “…when a medical practitioner or a naturopathic physician prescribes an opioid to an opioid-naïve patient on an outpatient basis, the prescription may not be for more than a 7-day supply.” This provision is implemented in statute at 37-2-101 and 37-2-108, MCA, within the General Provisions Related to Health Care Practitioners, and terminates June 30, 2025.
As identified in 37-2-108(2)(a) and (b), MCA, the restriction does not apply if:
“(2)(a) in the professional medical judgment of the medical practitioner or naturopathic physician, a prescription for more than a 7-day supply is necessary to treat chronic pain, pain associated with cancer, or pain experienced while the patient is in palliative care; or
(2)(b) the opioid being prescribed is designed for the treatment of opioid abuse or dependence, including but not limited to opioid agonists and opioid antagonists.”
An opioid-naïve patient is defined in 37-2-101(10), MCA: “…means a patient who has not been prescribed a drug containing an opioid in the 90 days prior to the acute event or surgery for which an opioid is prescribed.”
Pharmacists are responsible for performing corresponding responsibility, as required by DEA in 21 CFR 1306.04, and practice of pharmacy requirements pursuant to 37-7-101(36), MCA.
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Montana Professional Assistance Program (MPAP):
Information about this important program that is available to Board of Medical Examiners licensees can be found on this website inside the "Services/Links" tab. For immediate contact with MPAP, please contact
www.montanaprofessionalassistance.com or call 406-225-4300.
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Information on the Montana Prescription Drug Registry fee for prescribers:
All Board of Medical Examiners’ licensees with the authority to prescribe controlled substances will be assessed the $30/year statutory fee for support of the Montana Prescription Drug Registry (MPDR) when they renew their licenses.
This fee will be included in the online renewal process at the time of fee payment and will be included on printed renewal forms. Licensees who are exempt from the fee can note that fact during the online renewal process or on a renewal form. The assessment of fees for the MPDR is stated in MCA 37-7-1511.
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Medical Esthetics Joint Committee Survey of Licensees:
Click to see the
Presentation following a survey of Medical, Nursing and Barbers-Cosmetology licensees about the practice of Medical Esthetics procedures in Montana.
