HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

667

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO HEALTH.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  Section 329-38, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (i) to read as follows:

     "(i)  Prescriptions for controlled substances shall be issued only as follows:

     (1)  All prescriptions for controlled substances shall originate from within the State and be dated as of, and signed on, the day when the prescriptions were issued and shall contain:

          (A)  The first and last name and address of the patient; and

          (B)  The drug name, strength, dosage form, quantity prescribed, and directions for use.  Where a prescription is for gamma hydroxybutyric acid, methadone, or buprenorphine, the practitioner shall record as part of the directions for use, the medical need of the patient for the prescription.

          Except for electronic prescriptions, controlled substance prescriptions shall be no larger than eight and one-half inches by eleven inches and no smaller than three inches by four inches.  A practitioner may sign a prescription in the same manner as the practitioner would sign a check or legal document (e.g., J.H. Smith or John H. Smith) and shall use both words and figures (e.g., alphabetically and numerically as indications of quantity, such as five (5)), to indicate the amount of controlled substance to be dispensed.  Where an electronic prescription is permitted, either words or figures (e.g., alphabetically or numerically as indications of quantity, such as five or 5), to indicate the amount of controlled substance to be dispensed shall be acceptable.  Where an oral order or electronic prescription is not permitted, prescriptions shall be written with ink or indelible pencil or typed, shall be manually signed by the practitioner, and shall include the name, address, telephone number, and registration number of the practitioner.  The prescriptions may be prepared by a secretary or agent for the signature of the practitioner, but the prescribing practitioner shall be responsible in case the prescription does not conform in all essential respects to this chapter and any rules adopted pursuant to this chapter.  In receiving an oral prescription from a practitioner, a pharmacist shall promptly reduce the oral prescription to writing, which shall include the following information:  the drug name, strength, dosage form, quantity prescribed in figures only, and directions for use; the date the oral prescription was received; the full name, Drug Enforcement Administration registration number, and oral code number of the practitioner; and the name and address of the person for whom the controlled substance was prescribed or the name of the owner of the animal for which the controlled substance was prescribed.

              A corresponding liability shall rest upon a pharmacist who fills a prescription not prepared in the form prescribed by this section.  A pharmacist may add a patient's missing address or change a patient's address on all controlled substance prescriptions after verifying the patient's identification and noting the identification number on the back of the prescription document on file.  The pharmacist shall not make changes to the patient's name, the controlled substance being prescribed, the quantity of the prescription, the practitioner's Drug Enforcement Administration number, the practitioner's name, the practitioner's electronic signature, or the practitioner's signature;

     (2)  An intern, resident, or foreign-trained physician, or a physician on the staff of a Department of Veterans Affairs facility or other facility serving veterans, exempted from registration under this chapter, shall include on all prescriptions issued by the physician:

          (A)  The registration number of the hospital or other institution; and

          (B)  The special internal code number assigned to the physician by the hospital or other institution in lieu of the registration number of the practitioner required by this section.

          The hospital or other institution shall forward a copy of this special internal code number list to the department as often as necessary to update the department with any additions or deletions.  Failure to comply with this paragraph shall result in the suspension of that facility's privilege to fill controlled substance prescriptions at pharmacies outside of the hospital or other institution.  Each written prescription shall have the name of the physician stamped, typed, or hand-printed on it, as well as the signature of the physician;

     (3)  An official exempted from registration shall include on all prescriptions issued by the official:

          (A)  The official's branch of service or agency (e.g., "U.S. Army" or "Public Health Service"); and

          (B)  The official's service identification number, in lieu of the registration number of the practitioner required by this section.  The service identification number for a Public Health Service employee shall be the employee's social security or other government issued identification number.

          Each prescription shall have the name of the officer stamped, typed, or handprinted on it, as well as the signature of the officer; and

     (4)  A physician assistant registered to prescribe controlled substances under the authorization of a supervising physician shall include on all controlled substance prescriptions issued:

          (A)  The Drug Enforcement Administration registration number of the supervising physician; and

          (B)  The Drug Enforcement Administration registration number of the physician assistant.

          Each written controlled substance prescription issued shall include the printed, stamped, typed, or hand-printed name, address, and phone number of both the supervising physician and physician assistant, and shall be signed by the physician assistant.  The medical record of each written controlled substance prescription issued by a physician assistant shall be reviewed and initialed by the physician assistant's supervising physician within seven working days."

SECTION 2.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050; provided that the amendments made to section 329-38, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by section 1 of this Act shall not be repealed when that section is reenacted on June 30, 2023, pursuant to section 6 of Act 66, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017.


 


 

Report Title:

Pharmacists; Uniform Controlled Substances Act

 

Description:

Allows for the use of either words or figures to indicate quantity in prescriptions where electronic prescriptions are permitted.  (HB667 HD1)

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.