Bill Text: IL SB3720 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2025, whenever a prescriber prescribes a drug or medical device to a patient, the prescriber shall offer a copy of the written or electronic prescription to the patient. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2025, prescribers shall not use medical abbreviations, including the name, frequency, and dosage of medications, in a written or electronic prescription. Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to provide notice of the requirements to prescribers. Provides that the Department shall verify that written and electronic prescriptions prepared by prescribers do not contain medical abbreviations. Provides that, if a prescriber uses medical abbreviations in a written or electronic prescription, the Department shall issue a warning to the prescriber. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules to implement and administer these provisions. Defines "prescriber" and "written or electronic prescription". Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-09 - Referred to Assignments [SB3720 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB3720-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB3720 Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Adriane Johnson SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 2105/2105-410 new
Amends the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2025, whenever a prescriber prescribes a drug or medical device to a patient, the prescriber shall offer a copy of the written or electronic prescription to the patient. Provides that, beginning on January 1, 2025, prescribers shall not use medical abbreviations, including the name, frequency, and dosage of medications, in a written or electronic prescription. Requires the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to provide notice of the requirements to prescribers. Provides that the Department shall verify that written and electronic prescriptions prepared by prescribers do not contain medical abbreviations. Provides that, if a prescriber uses medical abbreviations in a written or electronic prescription, the Department shall issue a warning to the prescriber. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules to implement and administer these provisions. Defines "prescriber" and "written or electronic prescription". Effective immediately.
LRB103 36031 SPS 66118 b
A BILL FOR
SB3720 LRB103 36031 SPS 66118 b
AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Findings and purpose.
(a) The General Assembly finds that:
(1) each year in the United States, 7,000 to 9,000
individuals die as a result of medication error;
(2) there is room for error when there are more than
6,800 medications that can be prescribed and patients are
going to multiple facilities to receive their medications;
and
(3) when doctors use medical abbreviations, whether
they are on patient files that other medical providers use
or prescriptions that patients are given, it increases the
risk of medication error occurring.
(b) The purpose of this Act is to:
(1) ban the use of medical abbreviations in
prescriptions to eliminate confusion between service
providers and patients; and
(2) reduce the considerable number of fatalities that
result from medication errors annually.
Section 5. The Department of Professional Regulation Law
of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by

SB3720 - 2 - LRB103 36031 SPS 66118 b
adding Section 2105-410 as follows:
(20 ILCS 2105/2105-410 new)
Sec. 2105-410. Prohibition on the use of medical
abbreviations in prescriptions.
(a) In this Section:
"Prescriber" has the meaning given to that term in
subsection (mm) of Section 102 of the Illinois Controlled
Substances Act.
"Written or electronic prescription" means the document in
which a prescriber discloses details about the medication
being prescribed to the patient.
(b) Beginning on January 1, 2025, whenever a prescriber
prescribes a drug or medical device to a patient, the
prescriber shall offer a copy of the written or electronic
prescription to the patient. Beginning on January 1, 2025,
prescribers shall not use medical abbreviations, including the
name, frequency, and dosage of medications, in a written or
electronic prescription. The Department shall ensure that
prescribers comply with this subsection.
(c) As soon as practical after the effective date of this
amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly, the Department
shall provide to prescribers notice of the requirements. The
notice provided by the Department shall include information
about medication errors in prescriptions.
(d) The Department shall verify that written or electronic

SB3720 - 3 - LRB103 36031 SPS 66118 b
prescriptions prepared by prescribers do not contain medical
abbreviations. If a prescriber uses medical abbreviations in a
written or electronic prescription, the Department shall issue
a warning to the prescriber.
(e) The Department shall adopt rules to implement and
administer this Section.