STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1643

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 951

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 951, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

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

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement, Disability and Communication Access Board, and Kaiser Permanent Hawaiʻi.

Your Committee finds that patients suffering from acute pain require immediate treatment even when their regular provider is unavailable. Under existing law, however, patients in this situation must try to quickly find another provider to satisfy the face-to-face requirement to establish a physician-patient relationship. This requirement creates inefficiencies in the delivery of health care services, especially given the ongoing shortage of health care providers in the State. This measure is a proactive step toward improving patient care and outcomes by allowing health care providers to prescribe a three-day supply of opiates based on the evaluation of another provider from the same medical group. Your Committee therefore believes that allowing limited telehealth prescribing under specific conditions is a reasonable accommodation for patients with legitimate pain management needs while maintaining appropriate controls to prevent misuse.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 951, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair