New York lawmakers unanimously approved legislation Monday that
will require doctors to issue drug prescriptions electronically within
three years, meanwhile establishing tighter restrictions on painkillers
and other addictive drugs on the state list of controlled substances.
The legislation, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo promises to sign, will
require the health department to publish regulations by Dec. 31 for
electronic prescriptions for drugs on the long list that include
narcotics, steroids and opioid analgesics like hydrocone. Doctors would
have to transmit those electronically to pharmacists within two years
after that.
It will require pharmacists to report filling painkiller
prescriptions "in real time," including the patient and prescriber
names, and require doctors to check patient records before writing new
ones.Find and share deals and reviews on New Premium USB Wall Charger
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Health officials will review the registry and look for problems or
troubling trends. Pharmacists will be able to check it also to check
the patient's overall drug record.
"It's an absolute necessity," said Sen. Kemp Hannon, a Long Island
Republican and Health Committee chairman. He noted the sharp increases
in painkiller prescriptions statewide, with more than 22 million
written in one year in a state with less than 20 million people, as
well as addictions and related deaths.
The goal is to gather information about prescriptions and who's
getting them as soon as possible to help curb overprescribing and
overuse, while doctors already are moving toward writing prescriptions
electronically, according to bill sponsors. The move away from paper
prescriptions also is intended to ensure they won't be misinterpreted,
leading to drug errors, or altered, leading to black market
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The bill follows last week's agreement on final legislation among
top lawmakers, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who proposed the
online monitoring program more than a year ago, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The health department currently collects pharmacy prescription
information every 30 to 45 days for the state registry, which
pharmacists currently can't check.