Relates to prescription forms and labels, interpretation services and patients with limited English proficiency

BILL NUMBER:S8365

Title of bill

An act to amend the public health law and the education law, in relation to prescription forms and labels, interpretation services and patients with limited English proficiency

Purpose

To ensure safe and effective use of prescription medications by reducing the barriers many consumers face in trying to understand prescription drug warning labels, dosage instructions and other vital patient information

Summary of provisions

Section 1 amends section 21 of the public health law to include prescription forms and electronic prescriptions that allows doctors and other prescribers to indicate whether an individual is limited English proficient and, if so, the preferred language of the patient.

Section 2 amends section 6810 of the education law to clarify that all prescription labels must conform to the standardization and linguistic accessibility requirements outlined in Section 3.

Section 3 requires chain pharmacies in New York State to provide free, competent oral interpretation services to all limited English proficient individuals, particularly during the process of medication counseling and when obtaining information to establish the patient's medication profile. This section also requires the State Board of Pharmacy to develop standardized prescription drug labels to ensure greater comprehension of labels by consumers, improved directions for use, improved font types and sizes, and better placement on medication bottles and requires that the standardized prescription drug labels be translated into the top seven languages spoken by limited English proficient individuals in New York State.

Section 4 is the effective date.

Justification

Misuse of prescription medications causes over one million "adverse drug events" every year, resulting in visits to the emergency room, hospitalization and, in some cases, even death. One of the reasons such misuse occurs is because of low levels of health literacy among patients. Studies have found that less than half of patients understand the

dosage instructions currently provided on prescription medication bottles. Pharmacists often transcribe the same medication instruction in different ways at different times, which can cause confusion for patients, especially those who take many medications such as the elderly. Language barriers and the inability to read or understand medical information in English can pose health risks to patients with limited English proficiency.

This legislation aims to reduce the number of medication errors that result from the challenges patients face in comprehending medication labels. By requiring the State Board of Pharmacy to standardize and simplify the content of medication warning and instruction labels, the legislation will ensure that prescription drugs dispensed in New York State are more accessible and understandable to a broad range of consumers. By requiring interpretation services and the translation of standardized medication labels, the legislation will ensure that language does not pose as a barrier to safe and effective use of prescription drugs.

Legislative history

New bill.

Fiscal implications

None.

Effective date

One year after it shall become law.