STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2671

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2917

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2917 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Clarify that an advanced practice registered nurse and pharmacist may access information stored in the electronic prescription accountability system;

(2) Allow controlled substances prescribers, dispensers, and pharmacists employed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in the State to access prescription information stored in the electronic prescription accountability system; and

(3) Allow authorized employees of the Department of Human Services, Med-QUEST Division, to access prescription information stored in the electronic prescription accountability system.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Public Safety, and two individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawai‘i State Center for Nursing.

Your Committees find that the electronic prescription accountability system, or Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, increases Hawaii's public health surveillance capacity to better protect the community from prescribing practices that are of concern, especially regarding the over-prescribing of opioids. Allowing access to the electronic prescription accountability system for advanced practice registered nurses, pharmacists, and other authorized individuals provides additional safeguards to ensure appropriate prescribing practices.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying a statutory reference to advanced practice registered nurses regarding the authority to access information stored in the electronic prescription accountability system;

(2) Clarifying that licensed health care providers or delegates of such providers employed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs have access to information stored in the electronic prescription accountability system; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2917, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2917, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________ RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair