STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2962

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2631

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2631, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ELECTRONIC PRESCRIPTION ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to enhance the Electronic Prescription Accountability System, also known as the Hawaii Prescription Drug Monitoring Program or PDMP, to inform practitioners of the percentile ranking of their opiate prescription practices in relation to their peers by requiring the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the Department of Public Safety to:

(1) Annually determine, through the PDMP, the mean and median quantity and volume of prescriptions for opiates that are Schedule II and III controlled substances within categories of practitioners of a similar specialty or practice type;

(2) Work in conjunction with the respective licensure boards to annually determine each practitioner's Schedule II and III opiate prescribing quantity and volume and standing in relation to others within the same specialty or practice type and notify practitioners who exceed the relevant mean and median; and

(3) Coordinate with the respective licensure boards to make resources available to practitioners regarding ways to change prescribing practices and incorporate alternative pain management options into practices.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Public Safety.

Your Committee finds that opioid addiction and abuse are a growing problem that threatens the health and well-being of the public. Opioid addiction and abuse can have serious consequences, including death, and should therefore be confronted employing every available tool at the State's disposal. Your Committee finds that one way to combat the growing opioid crisis is to increase practitioner's awareness of their rates of opioid prescribing within the PDMP. Informing practitioners of their opioid prescription habits and how those habits compare to those of their peers will provide practitioners with insights into their own practices and help practitioners ensure that they are making the best possible choices for patients.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2021; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2631, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2631, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

________________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair