Bill Text: NY S02308 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Requires prescription information to be kept confidential.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - REFERRED TO HEALTH [S02308 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S02308-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2308
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   January 15, 2013
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  HANNON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
       AN ACT to amend the public  health  law,  in  relation  to  prescription
         privacy
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Legislative findings and intent.  Prescribing  health  care
    2  professionals  should  have  a  reasonable  expectation  that  when they
    3  prescribe a medication for a patient, that decision  will  not  be  made
    4  available  to  an outside third party. However, disclosure of individual
    5  identifying information about patients and prescribers  enables  pharma-
    6  ceutical  companies  to track the prescribing practices of physicians to
    7  target them for marketing, including gifts and payments.  This marketing
    8  can distort prescribing practices to  increase  health  care  costs  and
    9  undermine  patient  safety.  The National Institutes of Health has found
   10  that nearly one-third of the increase in prescription drug  prices  over
   11  the   last  decade  was  attributable  to  marketing-induced  shifts  in
   12  prescribing practices. Published evidence  shows  that  prescribers  are
   13  often  encouraged by sales representatives to prescribe medications in a
   14  manner that has not been approved by the Federal Food and Drug  Adminis-
   15  tration.
   16    Neither  the  state  nor  any other entity has the resources to effec-
   17  tively counter targeted marketing  campaigns  that  exceed  hundreds  of
   18  millions of dollars.
   19    The  legislature  finds  that this legislation is necessary to protect
   20  health care professionals and their patients from the abuses of targeted
   21  marketing that are made possible by the disclosure of individual identi-
   22  fying information.
   23    S 2. Section 270 of the public health law is amended by adding two new
   24  subdivisions 15 and 16 to read as follows:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD03775-01-3
       S. 2308                             2
    1    15. "INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION" MEANS INFORMATION IDENTIFYING
    2  OR TENDING TO IDENTIFY A PRESCRIBER OR PATIENT, WHERE THE INFORMATION IS
    3  DERIVED FROM OR RELATES TO A PRESCRIPTION FOR ANY DRUG OR DEVICE.
    4    16.  "MARKETING" MEANS, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ADVERTISING, DETAILING,
    5  MARKETING, PROMOTION, OR ANY ACTIVITY THAT COULD BE  USED  TO  INFLUENCE
    6  SALES  OR  MARKET  SHARE  OF A DRUG OR DEVICE, INFLUENCE OR EVALUATE THE
    7  PRESCRIBING PRACTICES OF A PRESCRIBER, OR EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS  OF
    8  MARKETING PRACTICES OR PERSONNEL.
    9    S 3. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 276-a to
   10  read as follows:
   11    S 276-A. PRESCRIPTION PRIVACY. 1. NO PRESCRIBER, PHARMACIST, PHARMACY,
   12  PHARMACY BENEFITS MANAGER, HEALTH PLAN, INSURER, THIRD PARTY PAYER, DATA
   13  TRANSFER  INTERMEDIARY,  DRUG MANUFACTURER OR WHOLESALER OR THEIR AGENTS
   14  SHALL DISCLOSE, SELL, TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR USE ANY INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFY-
   15  ING INFORMATION TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY FOR THE PURPOSE OF MARKETING ANY
   16  DRUG OR DEVICE.
   17    2. NOTWITHSTANDING SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION, INDIVIDUAL IDENTI-
   18  FYING INFORMATION, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW  MAY  BE  DISCLOSED,  SOLD,
   19  TRANSFERRED  OR  EXCHANGED  TO:  (A)  THE  PATIENT  TO WHOM THE ORIGINAL
   20  PRESCRIPTION WAS ISSUED OR A PERSON  TO  WHOM  THE  PRESCRIBED  DRUG  OR
   21  DEVICE MAY BE DELIVERED;
   22    (B)  A  PERSON  LEGALLY AUTHORIZED TO ISSUE OR FILL A PRESCRIPTION FOR
   23  THE PATIENT, A PERSON WHO TREATS THE PATIENT, OR A PERSON  WHO  PROVIDES
   24  DISEASE MANAGEMENT OR CASE MANAGEMENT TO THE PATIENT;
   25    (C)  AN  OFFICER,  INSPECTOR  OR INVESTIGATOR FOR A GOVERNMENT HEALTH,
   26  LICENSING OR LAW  ENFORCEMENT  AGENCY  ACTING  UNDER  APPROPRIATE  LEGAL
   27  AUTHORITY, WHERE THE REQUEST IS MADE IN WRITING;
   28    (D) A PERSON AUTHORIZED BY A COURT ORDER TO RECEIVE SUCH INFORMATION;
   29    (E)  A HEALTH RESEARCHER WHO IS OTHERWISE AUTHORIZED TO HAVE ACCESS TO
   30  HEALTH RECORDS OF THE PATIENT THAT INCLUDE  THE  INDIVIDUAL  IDENTIFYING
   31  INFORMATION, FOR REASONS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, CONDUCTING CLIN-
   32  ICAL TRIALS OR RESEARCH REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF HEALTH CARE PRACTITION-
   33  ER PRESCRIBING PRACTICES;
   34    (F) CONDUCT DRUG SAFETY EVALUATIONS, PRODUCT RECALLS AND SPECIFIC RISK
   35  MANAGEMENT  PLANS,  AS  IDENTIFIED  OR REQUESTED BY THE FEDERAL FOOD AND
   36  DRUG ADMINISTRATION, OR ITS SUCCESSOR AGENCY;
   37    (G) ALLOW FOR THE APPROPRIATE TRANSFER OF RECORDS THAT MAY TAKE  PLACE
   38  WHEN OWNERSHIP OF A PHARMACY IS CHANGED OR TRANSFERRED;
   39    (H)  THE  PATIENT'S  HEALTH PLAN, INSURER, OR THIRD PARTY PAYER, OR AN
   40  AGENT, FOR THE PURPOSE OF  PAYMENT  OR  REIMBURSEMENT  FOR  HEALTH  CARE
   41  SERVICES, INCLUDING DETERMINING COMPLIANCE WITH THE TERMS OF COVERAGE OR
   42  MEDICAL NECESSITY, OR UTILIZATION REVIEW;
   43    (I)  A  PERSON OR ENTITY TO WHOM, AND FOR A PURPOSE FOR WHICH, DISCLO-
   44  SURE OR TRANSFER IS OTHERWISE EXPLICITLY AUTHORIZED OR REQUIRED BY  LAW;
   45  OR
   46    (J)  A  PERSON OR ENTITY ACTING AS AN EMPLOYEE OR AGENT OF A PERSON OR
   47  ENTITY UNDER ANY  PRECEDING  PARAGRAPH  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION,  FOR  THE
   48  PURPOSE OF AND CONSISTENT WITH THAT PARAGRAPH.
   49    3.  NOTHING IN THIS SECTION SHALL PROHIBIT THE COLLECTION, USE, TRANS-
   50  FER, OR SALE OF PATIENT AND PRESCRIBER  DATA  BY  ZIP  CODE,  GEOGRAPHIC
   51  REGION,  OR  MEDICAL SPECIALTY FOR MARKETING PURPOSES, PROVIDING IT DOES
   52  NOT CONTAIN INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION.
   53    4. THIS SECTION SHALL NOT PREVENT ANY PERSON FROM DISCLOSING, SELLING,
   54  TRANSFERRING, OR EXCHANGING FOR VALUE INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION
   55  PERTAINING TO THAT PERSON, FOR ANY PURPOSE; PROVIDED THAT  THE  INFORMA-
       S. 2308                             3
    1  TION  DOES  NOT INCLUDE INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFYING INFORMATION PERTAINING TO
    2  ANY OTHER PERSON.
    3    5.  NOTHING  IN  THIS  SECTION  SHALL  PROHIBIT  A PHARMACY FROM USING
    4  PATIENT INFORMATION TO  PROVIDE  CARE  MANAGEMENT  EDUCATIONAL  COMMUNI-
    5  CATIONS  TO A PATIENT ABOUT THE PATIENT'S HEALTH CONDITION, ADHERENCE TO
    6  A PRESCRIBED COURSE OF THERAPY OR OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE DRUG BEING
    7  DISPENSED, TREATMENT OPTIONS, OR CLINICAL TRIALS.
    8    6. NO PERSON OR ENTITY TO WHOM OR WHICH INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFYING  INFOR-
    9  MATION  IS  DISCLOSED,  SOLD,  TRANSFERRED  OR EXCHANGED SHALL DISCLOSE,
   10  SELL, TRANSFER OR EXCHANGE IT TO ANY PERSON OR ENTITY OTHER THAN FOR THE
   11  LAWFUL  PURPOSE  FOR  WHICH  IT  WAS  DISCLOSED,  SOLD,  TRANSFERRED  OR
   12  EXCHANGED  TO  THE  PERSON OR ENTITY, AND WITHOUT SATISFACTORY ASSURANCE
   13  THAT THE RECIPIENT WILL SAFEGUARD THE RECORDS FROM  BEING  DISCLOSED  OR
   14  USED IN THE STATE FOR MARKETING PURPOSES.
   15    7.  THIS  SECTION  SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED TO AUTHORIZE ANY DISCLOSURE,
   16  SALE, TRANSFER, OR EXCHANGE OF INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFYING  INFORMATION  THAT
   17  IS NOT OTHERWISE AUTHORIZED OR REQUIRED BY LAW.
   18    8. IN ADDITION TO THE COMMISSIONER'S AUTHORITY TO ENFORCE THIS SECTION
   19  UNDER  SECTION  TWELVE  OF THIS CHAPTER, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SHALL HAVE
   20  THE AUTHORITY TO BRING AN ACTION TO ENFORCE COMPLIANCE WITH THIS SECTION
   21  WITHOUT REFERRAL BY THE COMMISSIONER.
   22    S 4.  This act shall take effect on  the  one  hundred  eightieth  day
   23  after it shall have become a law.
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