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Senate Judiciary Committee passes bill to require electronic prescribing for controlled substances, accepts federal waivers
Summary
The committee approved SB174, amended to let federal HHS waivers satisfy state requirements for electronic prescribing of controlled substances. Supporters said e-prescribing will reduce forged prescriptions and help combat the opioid epidemic; members raised concerns about rural connectivity and disaster contingencies.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on [date] passed SB174 with an amendment that allows federal waivers from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be used in Arkansas for exemptions to an electronic-prescribing requirement for controlled substances.
Senator Hammer, the bill sponsor, said the measure is meant to align Arkansas with an upcoming Medicare requirement and to reduce diversion and fraud by moving prescriptions from paper to certified electronic transmission.
Kirk Lane, state drug director, told the committee that electronic prescribing reduces handwriting errors, gives prescribers and pharmacists access to a patient’s medication history, and provides automated…
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