STAND. COM. REP. NO. 515

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 951

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 951 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow a patient to be prescribed a three-day supply of opiates via telehealth if the patient has been seen in-person by a health care provider in the same medical group as the prescribing physician.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i; Aloha Green Apothecary; and ATA Action.

Your Committee finds that existing law requires a patient to first establish a physician-patient relationship with their prescribing physician via an in-person consultation before the patient can be prescribed opioids via telehealth. Your Committee further finds that there are times when a patient requires immediate pain relief, but the patient's primary provider may be unavailable to write an opioid prescription for the patient. This measure is intended to allow patients to receive immediate pain relief even when their regular provider is unavailable while still ensuring appropriate and safe pain management and minimizing the risk of misuse and addiction.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the patient to have been seen in-person by a physician, rather than a health care provider;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) 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 Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 951, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 951, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair