The
Massachusetts Medical Society is pleased to provide its strong support to
S.1099/H.2180, An Act to Allow Patient Choice to Promote Prescription Safety.
The Medical Society urges favorable discharge of this bill.
The concept of partial fill legislation is designed to reduce unused opioid
pills that could be ripe for misuse and diversion. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention noted that 80% of persons misusing opioids did not
receive the drugs from their physician. Limiting certain high volume
prescriptions through partially filled prescriptions can also limit the
diversion of unused drugs.
This bill would amend prescribing laws to allow patients to partially fill
opioid prescriptions at the pharmacy, but, importantly, with the option of
filling the remainder of the prescription at a later date within a 30-day
period, if needed. Chapter 52 of the Acts of 2016, the comprehensive opioid
bill passed last spring, contained a partial fill provision, but the provision
was drafted pursuant to federal regulations that prohibited patients who have
elected partial fill to later return to the pharmacy to fill the remainder of
the prescription. Since the passage of Chapter 52, federal DEA regulations have
been changed to allow for states to pass laws that allow the remainder of a
partially filled prescription to be valid for a portion of time. This bill
amends MA state law in light of the federal regulatory change to allow for
partial fills with the option of filling the remaining portion of the
prescriptions.
The Medical Society believes that this change will significantly increase the
update of the option to partially fill opioid medications. At present, many
patients are apprehensive to elect to receive a partial fill, as if their pain
persists past the partially filled prescription, they would need to return to
the physician’s office to receive another prescription.
These
bills also specify that that the cost share (through co-pays, deductible
payments, etc.) for patient obtaining their prescription through multiple
partial fills shall not exceed the cost of the prescription had they obtained
it through a traditional full-fill.
When physicians prescribe opioids to their patients, the duration of the
patient’s pain, and of their need for pain medication, can vary. Partial fills
promote patient safety and patient choice by allowing patients to treat their
pain adequately while reducing excessive, unused opioid medication.
For
these reasons, we urge your support of this bill.
