SB 17-146

Senate Bill 17-146, which has been signed into law, allows doctors, veterinarians, and pharmacists to check a patient's prescription history through the state’s drug monitoring program. This means healthcare providers can look up information about their patients' medication use even if they are not planning to prescribe new drugs, helping them identify potential misuse or abuse of controlled substances. The bill affects medical professionals who handle prescriptions and their patients, enhancing safety measures in prescribing medications. Since it has been signed, the law is now active and healthcare providers can start using this expanded access immediately.

Official Summary

The bill modifies provisions relating to licensed health professionals' access to the electronic prescription drug monitoring program as follows: Allows a health care provider who has authority to prescribe controlled substances, or the provider's designee, to query the program regarding a current patient, regardless of whether the provider is prescribing or considering prescribing a controlled substance to that patient; Specifies that a veterinarian who is authorized to prescribe controlled substances may access the program to inquire about a current patient or client if the veterinarian suspects that the client has committed drug abuse or mistreated an animal; and Specifies that, in addition to accessing the program when dispensing or considering dispensing a controlled substance, a pharmacist or designee of the pharmacist may access the program regarding a current patient to whom the pharmacist is dispensing or considering dispensing a prescription drug.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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