Bill Text: CT HB06856 | 2015 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Substance Abuse And Opioid Overdose Prevention.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-30 - Signed by the Governor [HB06856 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2015-HB06856-Chaptered.html
Substitute House Bill No. 6856
AN ACT CONCERNING SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND OPIOID OVERDOSE PREVENTION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 20-10b of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (d), (e) and (f) of this section, a licensee applying for license renewal shall earn a minimum of fifty contact hours of continuing medical education within the preceding twenty-four-month period. Such continuing medical education shall (1) be in an area of the physician's practice; (2) reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public; and (3) during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter, include at least one contact hour of training or education in each of the following topics: (A) Infectious diseases, including, but not limited to, acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus, (B) risk management, including, but not limited to, for registration periods beginning on or after October 1, 2015, prescribing controlled substances and pain management, (C) sexual assault, (D) domestic violence, (E) cultural competency, and (F) behavioral health. For purposes of this section, qualifying continuing medical education activities include, but are not limited to, courses offered or approved by the American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Medical Association, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut State Medical Society, county medical societies or equivalent organizations in another jurisdiction, educational offerings sponsored by a hospital or other health care institution or courses offered by a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department. The commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, may grant a waiver for not more than ten contact hours of continuing medical education for a physician who: (i) Engages in activities related to the physician's service as a member of the Connecticut Medical Examining Board, established pursuant to section 20-8a; (ii) engages in activities related to the physician's service as a member of a medical hearing panel, pursuant to section 20-8a; or (iii) assists the department with its duties to boards and commissions as described in section 19a-14.
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 20-94d of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):
(b) Except as provided in this section, for registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2014, a licensee applying for license renewal shall earn a minimum of fifty contact hours of continuing education within the preceding twenty-four-month period. Such continuing education shall: (1) Be in an area of the advanced practice registered nurse's practice; (2) reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public; (3) include at least five contact hours of training or education in pharmacotherapeutics; and (4) include at least one contact hour of training or education in each of the following topics: (A) Infectious diseases, including, but not limited to, acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus, (B) risk management, (C) sexual assault, (D) domestic violence, (E) cultural competency, and (F) substance abuse, including, but not limited to, prescribing controlled substances and pain management. For purposes of this section, qualifying continuing education activities include, but are not limited to, courses, including on-line courses, offered or approved by the American Nurses Association, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut Nurses Association, Connecticut League for Nursing, a specialty nursing society or an equivalent organization in another jurisdiction, an educational offering sponsored by a hospital or other health care institution or a course offered by a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department. The commissioner may grant a waiver of not more than ten contact hours of continuing education for an advanced practice registered nurse who: (i) Engages in activities related to the advanced practice registered nurse's service as a member of the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing, established pursuant to section 20-88; or (ii) assists the department with its duties to boards and commissions as described in section 19a-14.
Sec. 3. Subsection (b) of section 20-126c of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a licensee applying for license renewal shall earn a minimum of twenty-five contact hours of continuing education within the preceding twenty-four-month period. Such continuing education shall (1) be in an area of the licensee's practice; (2) reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public; and (3) include not less than one contact hour of training or education in (A) any [five] four of the ten mandatory topics for continuing education activities prescribed by the commissioner pursuant to this subdivision, and (B) prescribing controlled substances and pain management. For registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2011, the Commissioner of Public Health, in consultation with the Dental Commission, shall on or before October 1, 2010, and biennially thereafter, issue a list that includes ten mandatory topics for continuing education activities that will be required for the following two-year registration period. Qualifying continuing education activities include, but are not limited to, courses, including on-line courses, offered or approved by the American Dental Association or state, district or local dental associations and societies affiliated with the American Dental Association; national, state, district or local dental specialty organizations or the American Academy of General Dentistry; a hospital or other health care institution; dental schools and other schools of higher education accredited or recognized by the Council on Dental Accreditation or a regional accrediting organization; agencies or businesses whose programs are accredited or recognized by the Council on Dental Accreditation; local, state or national medical associations; a state or local health department; or the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Eight hours of volunteer dental practice at a public health facility, as defined in section 20-126l, may be substituted for one contact hour of continuing education, up to a maximum of ten contact hours in one twenty-four-month period.
Sec. 4. Subdivision (6) of subsection (c) of section 19a-88 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):
(6) Each person holding a license as a physician assistant shall, annually, during the month of such person's birth, register with the Department of Public Health, upon payment of a fee of one hundred fifty dollars, on blanks to be furnished by the department for such purpose, giving such person's name in full, such person's residence and business address and such other information as the department requests. No such license shall be renewed unless the department is satisfied that the practitioner (A) has met the mandatory continuing medical education requirements of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants or a successor organization for the certification or recertification of physician assistants that may be approved by the department, [and] (B) has passed any examination or continued competency assessment the passage of which may be required by said commission for maintenance of current certification by said commission, and (C) has completed not less than one contact hour of training or education in prescribing controlled substances and pain management in the preceding two-year period.
Sec. 5. Subsection (j) of section 21a-254 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2015):
(j) (1) The commissioner shall, within available appropriations, establish an electronic prescription drug monitoring program to collect, by electronic means, prescription information for schedules II, III, IV and V controlled substances [, as defined in subdivision (9) of section 21a-240,] that are dispensed by pharmacies, nonresident pharmacies, as defined in section 20-627, outpatient pharmacies in hospitals or institutions or by any other dispenser. [, as defined in section 21a-240. ] The program shall be designed to provide information regarding the prescription of controlled substances in order to prevent the improper or illegal use of the controlled substances and shall not infringe on the legitimate prescribing of a controlled substance by a prescribing practitioner acting in good faith and in the course of professional practice.
(2) The commissioner may identify other products or substances to be included in the electronic prescription drug monitoring program established pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection.
(3) Each pharmacy, nonresident pharmacy, as defined in section 20-627, outpatient pharmacy in a hospital or institution and dispenser [, as defined in section 21a-240,] shall report to the commissioner, at least weekly, by electronic means or, if a pharmacy or outpatient pharmacy does not maintain records electronically, in a format approved by the commissioner, the following information for all controlled substance prescriptions dispensed by such pharmacy or outpatient pharmacy: (A) Dispenser identification number; (B) the date the prescription for the controlled substance was filled; (C) the prescription number; (D) whether the prescription for the controlled substance is new or a refill; (E) the national drug code number for the drug dispensed; (F) the amount of the controlled substance dispensed and the number of days' supply of the controlled substance; (G) a patient identification number; (H) the patient's first name, last name and street address, including postal code; (I) the date of birth of the patient; (J) the date the prescription for the controlled substance was issued by the prescribing practitioner and the prescribing practitioner's Drug Enforcement Agency's identification number; and (K) the type of payment.
(4) The commissioner may contract with a vendor for purposes of electronically collecting such controlled substance prescription information. The commissioner and any such vendor shall maintain the information in accordance with the provisions of chapter 400j.
(5) The commissioner and any such vendor shall not disclose controlled substance prescription information reported pursuant to subdivision (3) of this subsection, except as authorized pursuant to the provisions of sections 21a-240 to 21a-283, inclusive. Any person who knowingly violates any provision of this subdivision or subdivision (4) of this subsection shall be guilty of a class D felony.
(6) The commissioner shall provide, upon request, controlled substance prescription information obtained in accordance with subdivision (3) of this subsection to the following: (A) The prescribing practitioner, or such practitioner's authorized agent who is also a licensed health care professional, who is treating or has treated a specific patient, provided the information is obtained for purposes related to the treatment of the patient, including the monitoring of controlled substances obtained by the patient; (B) the prescribing practitioner with whom a patient has made contact for the purpose of seeking medical treatment, provided the request is accompanied by a written consent, signed by the prospective patient, for the release of controlled substance prescription information; or (C) the pharmacist who is dispensing controlled substances for a patient, provided the information is obtained for purposes related to the scope of the pharmacist's practice and management of the patient's drug therapy, including the monitoring of controlled substances obtained by the patient. The prescribing practitioner, such practitioner's authorized agent, or the pharmacist shall submit a written and signed request to the commissioner for controlled substance prescription information. Such prescribing practitioner or pharmacist shall not disclose any such request except as authorized pursuant to sections 20-570 to 20-630, inclusive, or sections 21a-240 to 21a-283, inclusive.
(7) No person or employer shall prohibit, discourage or impede a prescribing practitioner or pharmacist from requesting controlled substance prescription information pursuant to this subsection.
(8) Prior to prescribing greater than a seventy-two-hour supply of any controlled substance to any patient, the prescribing practitioner or such practitioner's authorized agent who is also a licensed health care professional shall review the patient's records in the electronic prescription drug monitoring program established pursuant to this subsection. Whenever a prescribing practitioner prescribes controlled substances for the continuous or prolonged treatment of any patient, such prescriber, or such prescriber's authorized agent who is also a licensed health care professional, shall review, not less than once every ninety days, the patient's records in such prescription drug monitoring program. If such electronic prescription drug monitoring program is not operational, such prescriber may prescribe greater than a seventy-two-hour supply of a controlled substance to a patient during the time of such program's inoperability, provided such prescriber or such authorized agent reviews the records of such patient in such program not more than twenty-four hours after regaining access to such program.
[(8)] (9) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, concerning the reporting, evaluation, management and storage of electronic controlled substance prescription information.
[(9)] (10) The provisions of this section shall not apply to (A) samples of controlled substances dispensed by a physician to a patient, or (B) any controlled substances dispensed to hospital inpatients.
[(10)] (11) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any institutional pharmacy or pharmacist's drug room operated by a facility, licensed under section 19a-495 and regulations adopted pursuant to said section 19a-495, that dispenses or administers directly to a patient an opioid [antagonists] agonist for treatment of a substance use disorder.
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) A person who is licensed as a pharmacist under part II of chapter 400j of the general statutes and is certified in accordance with subsection (b) of this section may prescribe, in good faith, an opioid antagonist, as defined in section 17a-714a of the general statutes, as amended by this act. Such pharmacist shall (1) provide appropriate training regarding the administration of such opioid antagonist to the person to whom the opioid antagonist is dispensed, and (2) maintain a record of such dispensing and the training required pursuant to chapter 400j of the general statutes.
(b) A pharmacist may only prescribe an opioid antagonist pursuant to this section if the pharmacist has been trained and certified by a program approved by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection.
(c) A pharmacist who prescribes an opioid antagonist in compliance with this section shall be deemed not to have violated any standard of care for a pharmacist.
(d) The provisions of this section shall apply only to a pharmacist certified in accordance with subsection (b) of this section. No pharmacist may delegate or direct any other person to prescribe an opioid antagonist or train any person in the administration of such opioid antagonist pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section.
(e) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection may adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54 of the general statutes, to implement the provisions of this section.
Sec. 7. Subdivision (1) of section 38a-175 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(1) "Healing arts" means the professions and occupations licensed under the provisions of chapters 370, 372, 373, 375, 378, 379, 380, 381, [and] 383 and 400j.
Sec. 8. Section 17a-714a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) For purposes of this section, "opioid antagonist" means naloxone hydrochloride or any other similarly acting and equally safe drug approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of drug overdose.
(b) A licensed health care professional who is permitted by law to prescribe an opioid antagonist may [, if acting with reasonable care,] prescribe, dispense or administer an opioid antagonist to any individual to treat or prevent a drug overdose without being liable for damages in a civil action or subject to criminal prosecution for prescribing, dispensing or administering such opioid antagonist or for any subsequent use of such opioid antagonist. A licensed health care professional who prescribes, dispenses or administers an opioid antagonist in accordance with the provisions of this subsection shall be deemed not to have violated the standard of care for such licensed health care professional.
(c) Any person, who in good faith believes that another person is experiencing an opioid-related drug overdose may, if acting with reasonable care, administer an opioid antagonist to such other person. Any person, other than a licensed health care professional acting in the ordinary course of such person's employment, who administers an opioid antagonist in accordance with this subsection shall not be liable for damages in a civil action or subject to criminal prosecution with respect to the administration of such opioid antagonist.
Sec. 9. Section 17a-667 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established a Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Policy Council which shall be within the [Office of Policy and Management for administrative purposes only] Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
(b) The council shall consist of the following members: (1) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee; (2) the Commissioners of Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Correction, Education, [Higher Education,] Mental Health and Addiction Services, [Motor Vehicles,] Public Health, Emergency Services and Public Protection [,] and Social Services, [and Transportation] Commissioner on Aging, and the Insurance Commissioner, or their designees; (3) the Chief Court Administrator, or the Chief Court Administrator's designee; (4) the chairperson of the Board of [Pardons and Paroles] Regents for Higher Education, or the chairperson's designee; (5) the president of The University of Connecticut, or the president's designee; (6) the Chief State's Attorney, or the Chief State's Attorney's designee; [(6)] (7) the Chief Public Defender, or the Chief Public Defender's designee; and [(7)] (8) the cochairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, criminal justice and appropriations, or their designees. The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families shall be cochairpersons of the council and may jointly appoint up to seven individuals to the council as follows: (A) Two individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder or representing an advocacy group for individuals with a substance use disorder; (B) a provider of community-based substance abuse services for adults; (C) a provider of community-based substance abuse services for adolescents; (D) an addiction medicine physician; (E) a family member of an individual in recovery from a substance use disorder; and (F) an emergency medicine physician currently practicing in a Connecticut hospital. [The Office of Policy and Management shall, within available appropriations, provide staff for the council. ]
(c) The council shall review policies and practices of state agencies and the Judicial Department concerning substance abuse treatment programs, substance abuse prevention services, the referral of persons to such programs and services, and criminal justice sanctions and programs and shall develop and coordinate a state-wide, interagency, integrated plan for such programs and services and criminal sanctions.