STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2253

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2810

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 2810 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow pharmacists to provide medication therapy management services to patients by creating a process for communication and collaboration among pharmacists and the patient's other health care providers.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the College of Pharmacy of the University of Hawaii, Hilo and one private citizen.  Comments on this measure were received from the Board of Pharmacy.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committees find that medication therapy management is an effective tool to lower health care costs and improve health outcomes by correcting the misuse of medication and providing patients with information to enable them to participate constructively in their own health care.  Your Committees further find that it is vital that a medication therapy management program incorporate the use of electronic records to facilitate real-time information sharing among the patient, pharmacist, and other health care providers.  Finally, your Committees find that licensed pharmacists are highly skilled professionals who are qualified by education and training to provide effective medication therapy management services.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Narrowing the scope of the medication therapy management program to include only those patients who receive prescription drug coverage through QUEST; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and accuracy.

     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. 2810, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2810, 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