Bill Text: FL S0840 | 2017 | Regular Session | Comm Sub


Bill Title: Controlled Substance Prescribing

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (? 3-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-04-28 - Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 557 (Ch. 2017-169) [S0840 Detail]

Download: Florida-2017-S0840-Comm_Sub.html
       Florida Senate - 2017                CS for CS for CS for SB 840
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Rules; Governmental Oversight and
       Accountability; and Health Policy; and Senator Clemens
       
       
       
       
       595-04442-17                                           2017840c3
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to controlled substance prescribing;
    3         providing legislative findings; requiring that
    4         specified physicians who are registered with the
    5         United States Drug Enforcement Administration to
    6         prescribe controlled substances complete a continuing
    7         education course before a certain date; specifying
    8         requirements for the continuing education course;
    9         authorizing the course to be offered in a distance
   10         learning format; creating grounds for disciplinary
   11         actions for failure to meet the course requirements;
   12         providing that completion of the course is a condition
   13         of licensure renewal as of a certain date; amending s.
   14         893.055, F.S.; revising requirements for reporting the
   15         dispensing of controlled substances; limiting an
   16         exception to reporting requirements for certain
   17         facilities that dispense controlled substances;
   18         authorizing certain employees of the United States
   19         Department of Veterans Affairs access to certain
   20         information in the prescription drug monitoring
   21         program database; specifying when a revised reporting
   22         requirement takes effect; providing effective dates.
   23          
   24  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   25  
   26         Section 1. The Legislature finds that the road to drug
   27  addiction may begin as early as 3 days after the initiation of
   28  opioid treatment for acute pain. Because of the potentially
   29  devastating effects of such addiction, the Legislature also
   30  finds that awareness of this potentially life-threatening
   31  problem must be raised among Florida’s practitioners. Before
   32  December 31, 2017, each physician licensed pursuant to chapter
   33  458, Florida Statutes, or chapter 459, Florida Statutes, who is
   34  registered with the United States Drug Enforcement
   35  Administration to prescribe controlled substances pursuant to 21
   36  U.S.C. s. 822 shall complete a 2-hour continuing education
   37  course offered by a statewide professional association of
   38  physicians in this state which is accredited to provide
   39  educational activities designated for the American Medical
   40  Association Physician’s Recognition Award (AMA PRA) Category 1
   41  Credit or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Category 1
   42  A continuing medical education (CME) credit. The course must
   43  contain information on the current standards regarding opiate
   44  prescribing and alternatives to these standards, and information
   45  on the risks of opioid addiction following even brief periods of
   46  treatment in the management of acute pain. The course may be
   47  offered in a distance learning format and must be included
   48  within the number of continuing medical education hours required
   49  by law. Failure to complete the course before December 31, 2017
   50  constitutes grounds for disciplinary action under s.
   51  456.072(1)(e), Florida Statutes, and chapter 458, Florida
   52  Statutes, or chapter 459, Florida Statutes, as applicable.
   53  Effective January 1, 2020, completion of this course is required
   54  as a condition of licensure renewal for every physician
   55  registered with the United States Drug Enforcement
   56  Administration to prescribe controlled substances.
   57         Section 2. Subsection (4), paragraph (g) of subsection (5),
   58  and paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (7) of section 893.055,
   59  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   60         893.055 Prescription drug monitoring program.—
   61         (4) Each time a controlled substance is dispensed to an
   62  individual, the controlled substance shall be reported to the
   63  department through the system as soon thereafter as possible,
   64  but no later than the close of the next business day not more
   65  than 7 days after the day date the controlled substance is
   66  dispensed unless an extension is approved by the department for
   67  cause as determined by rule. A dispenser must meet the reporting
   68  requirements of this section by submitting via the department
   69  approved electronic system providing the required information
   70  concerning each controlled substance that it dispensed in a
   71  department-approved, secure methodology and format. Such
   72  approved formats may include, but are not limited to, submission
   73  via the Internet, on a disc, or by use of regular mail.
   74         (5) When the following acts of dispensing or administering
   75  occur, the following are exempt from reporting under this
   76  section for that specific act of dispensing or administration:
   77         (g) A rehabilitative hospital, assisted living facility, or
   78  nursing home dispensing a certain dosage of a controlled
   79  substance, as needed, to a patient while the patient is present
   80  and receiving care as ordered by the patient’s treating
   81  physician.
   82         (7)(a) A practitioner or pharmacist who dispenses a
   83  controlled substance must submit the information required by
   84  this section in an electronic or other method in an ASAP format
   85  approved by rule of the department unless otherwise provided in
   86  this section. The cost to the dispenser in submitting the
   87  information required by this section may not be material or
   88  extraordinary. Costs not considered to be material or
   89  extraordinary include, but are not limited to, regular postage,
   90  electronic media, regular electronic mail, and facsimile
   91  charges.
   92         (b) A pharmacy, prescriber, or dispenser, or the designee
   93  of a pharmacy, prescriber, or dispenser, shall have access to
   94  information in the prescription drug monitoring program’s
   95  database which relates to a patient of that pharmacy,
   96  prescriber, or dispenser in a manner established by the
   97  department as needed for the purpose of reviewing the patient’s
   98  controlled substance prescription history. An employee of the
   99  United States Department of Veterans Affairs who provides health
  100  care services pursuant to such employment and who has the
  101  authority to prescribe controlled substances shall have access
  102  to the information in the program’s database in a manner
  103  established by the department. Such access is limited to the
  104  information that relates to a patient of such employee and may
  105  be accessed only for the purpose of reviewing the patient’s
  106  controlled substance prescription history. Other access to the
  107  program’s database shall be limited to the program’s manager and
  108  to the designated program and support staff, who may act only at
  109  the direction of the program manager or, in the absence of the
  110  program manager, as authorized. Access by the program manager or
  111  such designated staff is for prescription drug program
  112  management only or for management of the program’s database and
  113  its system in support of the requirements of this section and in
  114  furtherance of the prescription drug monitoring program.
  115  Confidential and exempt information in the database shall be
  116  released only as provided in paragraph (c) and s. 893.0551. The
  117  program manager, designated program and support staff who act at
  118  the direction of or in the absence of the program manager, and
  119  any individual who has similar access regarding the management
  120  of the database from the prescription drug monitoring program
  121  shall submit fingerprints to the department for background
  122  screening. The department shall follow the procedure established
  123  by the Department of Law Enforcement to request a statewide
  124  criminal history record check and to request that the Department
  125  of Law Enforcement forward the fingerprints to the Federal
  126  Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history record
  127  check.
  128         Section 3. The requirement in s. 893.055(4), Florida
  129  Statutes, as amended by this act, that the dispensing of a
  130  controlled substance be reported to the Department of Health no
  131  later than the next business day shall take effect January 1,
  132  2018.
  133         Section 4. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
  134  act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2017.

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