STAND. COM. REP. NO. 995-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: H.B. No. 1659

H.D. 3

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1659, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize pharmacies to provide customized patient medication packages to any patient of an institutional facility or any member of the general public upon consent, with a valid prescription, and in compliance with labeling and dispensing requirements.

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

Your Committee finds that ensuring patient safety is essential. With customized patient medication packages, pharmacies can provide enhanced safety, increased simplicity, and greater time savings for their patients. Each dose is conveniently packaged in a pouch and labeled with the name, strength, dosage, and date and time of administration of the medication. This enables patients to readily see when they should consume the contents of each pouch.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that a pharmacy may provide a customized patient medication package to any person, rather than any patient of an institutional facility or member of the general public;

(2) Clarifying that the consent necessary to provide a customized patient medication package may be communicated in writing, orally, or by electronic transmission and be identified in the records of the prescription;

(3) Removing definitions for "pharmacy" and "pharmacist", as these terms are already defined under Chapter 328, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1659, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1659, H.D. 3.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair