Government Relations
4 . The number of refills authorized by the prescription . 5 . The signature of the minor ’ s parent , guardian or authorized adult and date of signing . 6 . The prescriber must retain the form in the patient ’ s record .
Prescribers , with some exceptions , may not prescribe to minors more than a seven-day supply of a controlled substance containing an opioid . If it is an authorized adult ( not parent or guardian ) signing the consent form , the prescriber may not prescribe more than a 72-hour supply to the minor .
Prescribers may prescribe to a minor more than a seven-day supply if any of the following apply :
• In the prescriber ’ s professional clinical judgment , more than a seven-day supply of a controlled substance containing an opioid is required to stabilize the minor ’ s acute medical condition . If this is the case , the prescriber most document the condition and indicate the reason why a non-opioid alternative is not appropriate .
• For management of pain associated with cancer , use in palliative or hospice care , or management of chronic pain not associated with cancer .
Emergency Room and Urgent Care Centers HB 1699 , now Act 122 , impacts health care providers working in hospital emergency rooms and urgent care centers . Providers may not prescribe more than a seven-day supply of an opioid drug product to patients in the emergency room or urgent care center , or to those in observation status . Observation status is defined as patients who receive onsite services from a hospital for more than 23 consecutive hours and who have not been formally admitted as inpatients .
There is an exemption for providers to issue more than a seven-day supply of an opioid drug product if they believe it is necessary to treat a patient ’ s acute medical condition or to treat pain associated with cancer or for palliative care . The provider must document in the patient ’ s record why a non-opioid drug alternative was not appropriate to treat a patient ’ s medical condition .
Providers may not write a prescription refill for an opioid drug product and must refer patients for treatment if they suspect the patient is at risk for substance use disorders .
Drop Off Locations HB 1737 , now Act 123 , allows the following to serve as drop-off locations for an extra , unwanted or expired prescription drugs or over-the-counter pharmaceutical products , without having to first register with the state :
• State and local law enforcement agencies .
• Hospitals .
• Assisted living facilities .
• Home health care agencies .
• Long-term care nursing facilities .
• Hospice and domiciliary care homes .
• Pennsylvania licensed pharmacies .
Legislators Pass Resolution Commending Donated Dental Services Milestone
The General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution commending Dental Lifeline Network ’ s Pennsylvania Donated Dental Services ( DDS ) for having reached a landmark milestone of donating $ 15 million in dental services since the program ’ s inception in 1996 . More than 600 dentists and 100 dental laboratories have volunteered for the DDS program , providing free care to more than 4,600 Pennsylvanians with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile with seriously neglected dental problems .
Election Results
After a major election year , legislators returned to the Capitol in Harrisburg in January to begin a new two-year legislative session , which runs from now through November 2018 . The legislature reconvened after major victories for PDA in the 2015-2016 session , including the passage of and Governor Wolf ’ s signature on Retroactive Review legislation ( HB 2241 ).
The November election resulted in historic majorities for Republicans in the House and Senate . Republican state Senate candidates won three seats previously held by Democrats . The party picked up districts formerly held by Sens . Sean Wiley ( D – Erie ), John Wozniak ( D – Cambria ), and Rob Teplitz ( D – Dauphin ). The districts will now be represented by Dan Laughlin ( R – Erie ), Wayne Langerholc ( R – Cambria ), and John DiSanto ( R – Dauphin ).
The Senate turnover results in the GOP occupying 34 of 50 seats , which represents more than two-thirds and is referred to as a supermajority . According to the state constitution , a two-
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