INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ Indiana's Medical Licensing Board is considering delaying for one year a proposed new rule that would require physicians to conduct annual toxicology tests on some patients as part of a larger effort to crack down on prescription drug abuse.
 
Board members discussed the pros and cons of making the drug-testing a recommendation for one year before it would become mandatory in 2015. The test results would show whether patients are actually taking their prescribed medications or possibly selling them illegally.
 
Board members said physicians might need the extra time to adjust to the proposed rules the panel must adopt as part of a state law calling for standards for prescribing painkillers.
 
Medical Licensing Board Chairman Stephen Huddleston says the board will likely vote in October on the new rules.