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House Health committee backs one-time electronic transfer of Schedule II prescriptions
Summary
The House Health Committee reported House Bill 60 favorably after adopting an amendment to allow a one-time transfer of electronically written Schedule II controlled-substance prescriptions between pharmacies, a change sponsors said would ease access during shortages.
House Bill 60, which would amend the Pharmacy Act to permit a one-time transfer of electronically written Schedule II controlled-substance prescriptions between pharmacies, was reported affirmatively by the House Health Committee after the panel adopted an amendment clarifying federal regulation references.
Committee staff member Mike described the bill during the meeting: "House Bill 60 amends the pharmacy act to align state law with federal rules and allow for the transfer of prescriptions of schedule 2 controlled substances between pharmacies. A prescription can only be transferred once and only for electronically written prescriptions." The amendment introduced by Rep. Walsh and described by Mike "removes the requirement in existing law that, for a prescription to be transferred between pharmacies, it must be for a drug that can be lawfully refillable," and cites a federal regulation relating to electronic prescriptions.
The bill’s supporters said the change is intended to reduce patient hardship when a specific medication is not in stock at a local pharmacy. Representative Borowski said the measure "was born out of concerns brought to my office by my neighbors and constituents who ... were struggling to get their hands on medication, specifically that to treat attention deficit disorder." Rep. Khan, who identified herself as a nurse practitioner, said the transfer allowance will reduce the need to reissue prescriptions when patients change pharmacies.
Sponsors and staff emphasized that the bill only permits a single transfer and applies to electronically written prescriptions; they said the amendment was drafted in consultation with the Department of State and the Department of Health. The committee adopted Amendment A0005 and then reported House Bill 60 affirmatively out of committee.
No roll-call tally was recorded in the committee transcript for the final report; the record shows the amendment was adopted and the bill reported by voice vote.
