FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 2730

C 104 L 16

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Concerning the prescription monitoring program.

Sponsors: House Committee on Health Care & Wellness (originally sponsored by Representatives Peterson, Walkinshaw, Ortiz-Self, Bergquist, Kagi, Gregerson, Kilduff, Frame and Pollet).

House Committee on Health Care & Wellness

House Committee on Appropriations

Senate Committee on Health Care

Background:

The Department of Health (DOH) maintains a prescription monitoring program (PMP) to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances and other drugs that demonstrate a potential for abuse. Each time one of these drugs is dispensed, the dispenser must electronically submit the following information to the PMP:

• a patient identifier;

• the drug dispensed;

• the dispensing date;

• the quantity dispensed;

• the prescriber; and

• the dispenser.

Data in the PMP may be accessed by the following people and entities:

• a person authorized to prescribe or dispense a controlled substance for the purpose of providing medical or pharmaceutical care for his or her patients;

• a person requesting his or her own PMP information;

• a health professional licensing, certification, or regulatory agency;

• an appropriate law enforcement or prosecutorial official;

• an authorized practitioner of the Department of Social and Health Services or the Health Care Authority regarding Medicaid recipients;

• the Director of the Department of Labor and Industries regarding workers' compensation claimants;

• the Secretary of the Department of Corrections regarding offenders in the custody of the Department of Corrections;

• an entity under grand jury subpoena or court order;

• personnel of the DOH for administration of the PMP or the Uniform Controlled Substances Act; and

• certain medical test sites licensed by the DOH.

A Health Information Exchange (HIE) is a secure way for health care organizations to share messages and clinical information. Washington's HIE, established through grant funding from the federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, is operated by OneHealthPort, a lead organization designated by the Health Care Authority. To participate in the HIE, organizations must sign a participation agreement and pay a subscription fee.

Summary:

Access to the PMP is expanded to include:

• a prescriber of legend drugs;

• a health care facility or entity for the purpose of providing medical or pharmaceutical care to the patients of the facility or entity if: (1) the facility or entity is licensed by the DOH; and (2) the facility or entity is a trading partner with the HIE; and

• a health care provider group of five or more providers for the purpose of providing medical or pharmaceutical care to the patients of the provider group if: (1) all of the providers in the group are licensed; and (2) the provider group is a trading partner with the HIE.

Votes on Final Passage: