The House Public Health Committee heard Rep. Kirchhofer’s HB 1614 on opioid prescriptions for pain management treatment. This bill requires the Indiana Board of Pharmacy or any licensing board, commission, or agency that controls, authorizes, or oversees controlled substance registrations, to adopt rules to establish standards and protocols for practitioners who prescribe opioid controlled substances for pain management treatment and provides that the rules may not be amended unless the proposed amendment has been approved by the medical licensing board. The bill was supported by the Indiana Medical Association, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office, and the Indiana Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force. The Indiana Podiatric Medical Association, the Indiana State Nurses Association, and the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association testified as to concerns with the bill. The committee held the bill for future action.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/house/1614.