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Board of Pharmacy budget advanced; members discuss K‑TRAKS opioid‑tracking software and NARxCare lease end
Summary
The committee approved the Board of Pharmacy’s FY2025–2027 fee‑fund budgets and discussed the board’s decision not to renew the NARxCare software lease and questions about the K‑TRAKS prescription monitoring system after anecdotal duplicate opioid prescriptions.
The House Committee on Appropriations advanced the Kansas Board of Pharmacy’s fee‑fund budget for fiscal years 2025–2027 and discussed the board’s technology footprint for controlled‑substance monitoring, including the decision not to renew the NARxCare software lease and a question raised about the K‑TRAKS prescription monitoring system.
Chairman Bueller said the board’s FY2025 revised estimate was about $3.9 million with 20 FTE, and the FY2026 request was about $4.0 million, with modest changes attributed to salary and wage adjustments and the expiration of the NARxCare lease. Committee materials and the LBC indicated the decrease largely reflected the board’s decision not to renew the NARxCare application used for risk scoring for controlled‑substance monitoring.
During discussion Representative Walsinger asked what the board would replace NARxCare with; Bueller said the lease was expiring and the board had evaluated the application and, based on a survey, decided the cost was not justified by the benefit the board would receive. Bueller said the board had implemented its own patient risk scoring based on the state prescription monitoring data.
Representative Walsinger and other members also raised an anecdote about two separate oxycodone prescriptions presented at two sites in a short time that were both filled; the member who raised the story said K‑TRAKS did not appear to catch the duplicate. Committee members noted patient dosing/days‑supply and provider scripting can affect monitoring system behavior and that pharmacy procedure and prescription details can influence whether the system flags a duplicate. Bueller suggested follow‑up with the Board of Pharmacy to confirm technical behavior of K‑TRAKS in that case.
The committee approved the Social Services Budget Committee recommendations for the Board of Pharmacy for FY2025–2027 by voice vote and forwarded them to HB 2,007.
Ending: The committee advanced the board’s budgets and asked for follow‑up on the NARxCare decision and the K‑TRAKS example so members could understand how the state’s controlled‑substance monitoring functions and whether alternate software was needed.
