House File 2042 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2042 BY ISENHART A BILL FOR An Act relating to the information provided a patient prior 1 to prescribing a controlled substance for acute or chronic 2 pain. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5641YH (4) 88 pf/rh

H.F. 2042 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 124.559 Provision of information —— 1 prescribing of controlled substances for acute or chronic pain. 2 1. Prior to issuing an initial prescription for a schedule 3 II controlled substance or any other prescription opioid in a 4 course of treatment for acute or chronic pain, and again prior 5 to issuing the third prescription in the course of treatment, 6 a prescribing practitioner shall discuss with the patient, 7 or the patient’s parent or guardian if the patient is under 8 eighteen years of age and is not an emancipated minor, the 9 risks associated with the substance being prescribed, including 10 but not limited to: 11 a. The risks of addiction and overdose associated with 12 opioid drugs and the dangers of taking opioid drugs with 13 alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other central nervous system 14 depressants. 15 b. The reasons why the prescription is necessary. 16 c. Alternative treatments that may be available. 17 d. The risks associated with the use of the substance 18 being prescribed, specifically that opioids are highly 19 addictive, even when taken as prescribed, that there is a 20 risk of developing a physical or psychological dependence on 21 the substance and that the risks of taking more opioids than 22 prescribed, or mixing sedatives, benzodiazepines or alcohol 23 with opioids, can result in fatal respiratory depression. 24 2. The prescribing practitioner shall include a note 25 in the patient’s medical record that the patient or the 26 patient’s parent or guardian, as applicable, has discussed 27 with the practitioner the risks of developing a physical or 28 psychological dependence on the prescribed substance and 29 alternative treatments that may be available. 30 3. This section shall not apply to a prescription for the 31 substances specified for a patient who is currently in active 32 treatment for cancer or receiving hospice or palliative care 33 through a hospice program as defined in section 135J.1, for the 34 resident of a long-term care facility, or to any substances 35 -1- LSB 5641YH (4) 88 pf/rh 1/ 3

H.F. 2042 that are being prescribed for use in the treatment of substance 1 use disorder or opioid dependence. 2 4. As used in this section: 3 a. “Long-term care facility” means the same as defined in 4 section 231.4. 5 b. “Prescribing practitioner” means the same as defined in 6 section 124.550. 7 Sec. 2. CODE EDITOR DIRECTIVE. The Code editor shall 8 designate section 124.559, as enacted in this Act, as a new 9 subchapter within chapter 124. 10 EXPLANATION 11 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 12 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 13 This bill relates to the information to be provided by a 14 prescribing practitioner to a patient prior to the prescribing 15 of a controlled substance for acute or chronic pain. The bill 16 provides that prior to issuing an initial prescription of a 17 schedule II controlled substance or any other prescription 18 opioid in a course of treatment for acute or chronic pain, and 19 again prior to issuing the third prescription in the course of 20 treatment, a prescribing practitioner shall discuss with the 21 patient, or the patient’s parent or guardian if the patient 22 is under 18 years of age and is not an emancipated minor, the 23 risks associated with the substance being prescribed. The 24 information to be discussed includes but is not limited to: 25 the risks of addiction and overdose associated with opioid 26 drugs and the dangers of taking opioid drugs with alcohol, 27 benzodiazepines, and other central nervous system depressants; 28 the reasons why the prescription is necessary; alternative 29 treatments that may be available; and the risks associated with 30 the use of the substance being prescribed. The prescribing 31 practitioner shall include a note in the patient’s medical 32 record that the patient or the patient’s parent or guardian, 33 as applicable, has discussed with the practitioner the risks 34 of developing a physical or psychological dependence on the 35 -2- LSB 5641YH (4) 88 pf/rh 2/ 3

H.F. 2042 prescribed substance and alternative treatments that may be 1 available. The bill does not apply to a prescription for 2 the substances specified in the bill for a patient who is 3 currently in active treatment for cancer or receiving hospice 4 or palliative care through a hospice program, for the resident 5 of a long-term care facility, or to any substances that are 6 being prescribed for use in the treatment of substance use 7 disorder or opioid dependence. 8 -3- LSB 5641YH (4) 88 pf/rh 3/ 3