Senate Bill 2767

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 73-21-127, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE DISPENSERS AND PRESCRIBERS TO CHECK THE PRESCRIPTION MONITORING PROGRAM DATABASE BEFORE DISPENSING OR PRESCRIBING CERTAIN DRUGS; TO DELETE THE SUNSET PROVISION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 73-21-127, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

73-21-127. The Board of Pharmacy shall develop and implement a computerized program to track prescriptions for controlled substances and to report suspected abuse and misuse of controlled substances in compliance with the federal regulations promulgated under authority of the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005 and in compliance with the federal HIPAA law, under the following conditions:

(a) Submission or reporting of dispensing information shall be mandatory and required by the State Board of Pharmacy for any entity dispensing controlled substances in or into the State of Mississippi, except for the dispensing of controlled substance drugs by a veterinarian residing in the State of Mississippi.

(b) The prescriptions tracked shall be prescriptions for controlled substances listed in Schedule II, III, IV or V and specified noncontrolled substances identified by the State Board of Pharmacy that are dispensed to residents in the State of Mississippi by licensed pharmacies, nonresident pharmacies, institutions and dispensing practitioners, regardless of dispenser location.

(c) The Board of Pharmacy shall report any activity it reasonably suspects may be fraudulent or illegal to the appropriate law enforcement agency or occupational licensing board and provide them with the relevant information obtained for further investigation.

(d) The program shall provide information regarding the potential inappropriate use of controlled substances and the specified noncontrolled substances to practitioners, pharmacists-in-charge and appropriate state agencies in order to prevent the inappropriate or illegal use of these controlled substances. The specific purposes of the program shall be to: be proactive in safeguarding public health and safety; support the legitimate use of controlled substances; facilitate and encourage the identification, intervention with and treatment of individuals addicted to controlled substances and specified noncontrolled drugs; identify and prevent drug diversion; provide assistance to those state and federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies investigating cases of drug diversion or other misuse; and inform the public and health care professionals of the use and abuse trends related to controlled substance and specified noncontrolled drugs.

(e) (i) Access to collected data shall be confidential and not subject to the provisions of the federal Freedom of Information Act or the Mississippi * * * ~~Open~~ Public Records Act. Upon request, the State Board of Pharmacy shall provide collected information to: pharmacists or practitioners who are properly registered with the State Board of Pharmacy and are authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances for the purpose of providing medical and pharmaceutical care for their patients; local, state and federal law enforcement officials engaged in the administration, investigation or enforcement of the laws governing illicit drug use; regulatory and licensing boards in this state; Division of Medicaid regarding Medicaid and Medicare Program recipients; judicial authorities under grand jury subpoena; an individual who requests the individual's own prescription monitoring information; and prescription monitoring programs in other states through mutual agreement adhering to State Board of Pharmacy policies.

(ii) The Director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, or his designee, shall have access to the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) database for the purpose of investigating the potential illegal acquisition, distribution, dispensing, prescribing or administering of the controlled and noncontrolled substances monitored by the program, subject to all legal restrictions on further dissemination of the information obtained.

(iii) The State Board of Pharmacy may also provide statistical data for research or educational purposes if the board determines the use of the data to be of significant benefit to public health and safety. The board maintains the right to refuse any request for PMP data.

(iv) A pharmacist licensed by the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy must be a registered user of the PMP. Failure of a pharmacist licensed by the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy to register as a user of the PMP is grounds for disciplinary action by the board.

(f) The Prescription Monitoring Program through the Board of Pharmacy may:

(i) Establish the cost of administration, maintenance, and operation of the program and charge to like agencies a fee based on a formula to be determined by the board with collaboration and input from participating agencies; and

(ii) Assess charges for information and/or statistical data provided to agencies, institutions and individuals. The amounts of those fees shall be set by the Executive Director of the Board of Pharmacy based on the recommendation of the Director of the PMP.

All such fees collected shall be deposited into the special fund of the State Board of Pharmacy and used to support the operations of the PMP.

(g) (i) A dispenser pharmacist or practitioner licensed to dispense controlled substances and the specified noncontrolled substance drugs who knowingly fails to submit drug-monitoring information or knowingly submits incorrect dispensing information shall be subject to actions against the pharmacist's or practitioner's license, registrations or permit and/or an administrative penalty as provided in Sections 73-21-97 and 73-21-103. Any misuse of the PMP is subject to penalties as provided in Sections 73-21-97 and 73-21-103.

(ii) A dispenser pharmacist or practitioner licensed to dispense or prescribe controlled substances and the specified noncontrolled substance drugs who knowingly fails to obtain drug-monitoring information before dispensing or prescribing controlled substances and the specified noncontrolled substance drugs shall be subject to actions against the pharmacist's or practitioner's license, registrations or permit, an administrative penalty as provided in Sections 73-21-97 and 73-21-103, or both.

(h) The Board of Pharmacy and the Prescription Monitoring Program shall be immune from civil liability arising from inaccuracy of any of the information submitted to the program.

(i) "Practitioner," as used in this section, shall include any person licensed, registered or otherwise permitted to distribute, dispense, prescribe or administer a controlled substance, as defined under Section 41-29-105(y).

(j) In addition to any funds appropriated by the Legislature, the State Board of Pharmacy may apply for any available grants and accept any gifts, grants or donations to assist in future development or in maintaining the program.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2017.