STAND. COM. REP. NO. 247

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 568

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 568 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRONIC PRESCRIPTIONS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to improve quality and affordability of health care with the implementation of health information technology.

     Specifically, this measure establishes the electronic prescription drug program task force within the Department of Health to develop a plan to establish and implement, by July 1, 2011, the mandatory use of an electronic prescription drug program by pharmacists, physicians, and others authorized to prescribe or dispense prescription drugs in the State.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Kaiser Permanente, Hawaii Medical Service Association, and Walgreens.  The Department of Health submitted testimony in support of the intent of this measure.

     Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committees find that an electronic prescription drug program will improve patient safety through the generation of legible prescriptions that have been checked for adverse reactions and drug-drug interactions.  Your Committees further find that the federal stimulus package is expected to include funding for health information technology which the task force should pursue to fund the implementation of the program.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by including a representative from a local health plan on the task force and by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 568, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 568, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair