STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1255

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   S.B. No. 568

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 568, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure safe, accurate, and efficient medication prescribing practices by establishing the Electronic Prescription Drug Program Task Force (Task Force) to develop a plan to establish and implement, by July 1, 2011, the mandatory use of an Electronic Prescription Drug Program (Program) by pharmacists, physicians, and others authorized to prescribe or dispense prescription drugs in the state.

     Walgreens Co. supported this bill.  The Department of Health and the Department of Human Services supported the intent of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Providing that the use of the Program is discretionary rather than mandatory;

(2)  Clarifying that the Task Force members representing dentists and a local health plan will be represented by a representative of the Hawaii Dental Association and the Hawaii Association of Health Plans respectively;

(3)  Ensuring that the professions of Physician Assistants and Advance Practice Registered Nurses each have a representative on the Task Force;

(4)  Adding a representative to the Task Force from the Hawaii Association for Justice;

(5)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

(6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 568, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 568, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair