SF 2268 (LSB 5128XS (5) 87)

SENATE FILE 2268

BY  HART

A BILL FOR

An Act requiring practitioners to discuss the dangers of opioid abuse with patients.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  124.309  Prescriptions for opioids —— patient discussion requirements.
   1.  Prior to issuing an initial prescription for an opioid during a patient’s course of treatment for acute or chronic pain and again prior to issuing a third prescription for an opioid during the patient’s same course of treatment, a practitioner shall discuss with the patient or the patient’s parent or guardian if the patient is under the age of eighteen and is not an emancipated minor, the risks associated with the opioid prescribed, including but not limited to all of the following:
   a.  The risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioids.
   b.  The reasons why the prescription is necessary.
   c.  Alternative treatments that may be available.
   d.  The addictive nature of opioids, both physical and psychological.
   e.  The dangers of taking opioids with alcohol, sedatives, benzodiazepines, and other central nervous system depressants, including the possibility of fatal respiratory depression.
   2.  The practitioner shall include a note in the patient’s medical record that the patient or the patient’s parent or guardian, as applicable, has discussed with the practitioner the risks of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the prescribed opioid and any alternative treatments that may be available.
   3.  The board of medicine, in consultation with the board of pharmacy, shall develop and make available to practitioners guidelines for the discussion required pursuant to this section.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill requires any practitioner issuing an initial prescription for an opioid during a patient’s course of treatment to first discuss the risks of opioid use and abuse with a patient or the patient’s parent or guardian. The practitioner is also required to inform the patient or the patient’s parent or guardian of any available alternatives to the opioid. The practitioner must repeat this conversation before issuing a third prescription for an opioid during the patient’s same course of treatment. The bill directs the board of medicine, in consultation with the board of pharmacy, to develop guidelines for the required discussion.