STAND. COM. REP. NO.566

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 736

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 736 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide trained psychologists limited authority to prescribe medications to patients at federally qualified health centers or in appropriately licensed health clinics in a federally designated medically underserved area.

Testimony supporting this measure was submitted by the American Psychological Association, Lamalama Ka 'Ili Community Health Services, Hawaii Psychological Association, Hawaii Nurses' Association, National Association of Social Workers, Argosy University, Papa Ola Lokahi, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, Hana Community Health Center, and thirteen individuals.

Testimony opposing this measure was submitted by the

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Hawaii Medical Association, NAMI Oahu, Committee Against Medicalizing Psychology, American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology, Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, and twenty-one individuals. The Board of Psychology submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee finds that the demand for mental health care services in the State exceeds the resources currently available. Of particular concern is the number of individuals with mental health problems who are not receiving the medications they need to maintain a productive lifestyle. This problem is especially severe in areas served by federally qualified health centers, areas within which the residents have reduced access to quality health care. Psychologists in the State working within these areas treat these mentally ill patients daily but have no authority to immediately dispense the medication they need. This measure allows psychologists limited authority to prescribe medications, thereby providing patients the medication they require in a more timely basis.

Your Committee acknowledges that psychologists need to complete thorough training and educational requirements before they may begin prescribing medications. However, your Committee believes that if the appropriate standards are set forth, the risks of inappropriate treatment can be mitigated.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Increasing the number of hours of psychopharmacological training an applicant must complete from four-hundred fifty hours to six hundred hours;

(2) Specifying that the psychopharmacological training must be post-doctoral training;

(3) Requiring that the applicant's one year of supervised practicum involve treating a diverse population of patients with mental disorders;

(4) Requiring the applicant to pass a national proficiency examination, rather than a national certification examination;

(5) Allowing the Board of Psychology to waive education and examination requirements if the applicant maintains a license to prescribe medications in another state; provided that the State has standards substantially similar to or higher than that of the State;

(6) Clarifying that the applicant must be employed or contracted by, and will practice the prescribing authority in, a federally qualified health center or licensed health clinic located in a federally designated medically underserved area;

(7) Deleting provisions that established a prescription certificate, leaving only the provisions for a conditional prescription certificate;

(8) Requiring psychologists to inform the Board of Psychology of the name of the federally qualified health center or licensed health clinic in which the psychologist practices;

(9) Replacing references to a "health care practitioner" with "doctor of medicine";

(10) Excluding a prescribing psychologist from the definition of "prescribing mental health professional";

(11) Requiring the Board of Psychology to report to the 2011 Legislature on their evaluation of the status of mental health care in the State after providing conditional prescriptive authority to psychologists pursuant to this measure, recommendations as to whether the prescriptive authority should be modified, eliminated, or continued, and on any other related matter to assist the Legislature in assessing the viability of psychologists maintaining prescriptive authority; and

(12) Repealing this measure on July 1, 2011.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 736, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 736, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair