What's happening
This bill reduces the maximum initial prescription for opioids for acute pain from a seven-day supply to a three-day supply.
Why it matters
A stricter limit on initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain aims to reduce the risk of developing opioid dependence or misuse. , especially for patients who might otherwise receive a larger supply than medically necessary.
The change may encourage more frequent and careful follow-up between patients and healthcare providers. , promoting better monitoring of pain management needs and potential side effects or misuse.
Healthcare providers will need to adapt their prescribing practices. , potentially increasing administrative work and patient visits, but also providing more opportunities for patient education about pain treatment and alternatives to opioids.
This policy could impact patient access and convenience, particularly those in rural or underserved areas. , as it might require more frequent trips to a prescriber for continued pain management.
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Who cares
Opioid prescribers
The bill would lower the maximum initial prescription for a Schedule II, III or IV opioid for acute pain from seven days to three days.
Patients with acute pain
Patients needing opioids beyond the initial three-day supply would need a subsequent consultation for an appropriate renewal, refill or new prescription.
Pharmacists
The bill would change the initial acute-pain opioid prescription limit to three days while leaving the provision for prescriptions after subsequent consultations unchanged.
Headline styles
Limit Opioid Prescriptions to 3 Days
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Limit Painkiller Prescriptions to 3 Days
In Assembly Committee · Health · Sponsor John T. McDonald III
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6256
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 11, 2017
Introduced by Sen. HANNON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to limiting the initial prescription of a controlled substance for the alleviation of acute pain from a seven-day supply to a three-day supply
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 3331 of the public health law, as added by section 1 of part C of chapter 71 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivision, a practitioner, within the scope of his or her professional opinion or discretion, may not prescribe more than a [seven-day] three-day supply of any schedule II, III, or IV opioid to an ultimate user upon the initial consultation or treatment of such user for acute pain. Upon any subsequent consultations for the same pain, the practitioner may issue, in accordance with paragraph (a) of this subdivision, any appropriate renewal, refill, or new prescription for the opioid or any other drug.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11357-02-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to limiting the initial prescription of a controlled substance for the alleviation of acute pain from a seven-day supply to a three-day supply
Purpose
This bill would limit the number of schedule II, III or IV controlled substance pain pills initially prescribed to someone suffering from acute pain. This serves two important purposes: it encourages patients whose acute pain lasts longer than initially expected to follow-up with a doctor; and it lessens the number of pills left in medicine cabinets and available for diversion.
Summary of provisions
Section one of the bill amends public health law § 3331(5)(b) to limit the initial prescriptions of any schedule II, III or IV controlled substance for acute pain to a 3 day supply. The term encompasses accidental and intentional pain lasting only a short or finite period of time. The subsection expressly excludes chronic pain, cancer pain, and hospice or other end-of-life care.
Section two provides an immediate effective date.
Justification
Prescription drug abuse is a growing crisis in both New York State and the country at large. In this State, there has been armed violence, death by overdose and suicide, and increasing rates of addiction.
In 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, which is more than enough to give every American adult their own bottle of pain medication. Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S., with 52,404 lethal drug overdoses in 2015. Of these 20,101 overdose deaths were related to prescription pain relievers, and 12,990 overdose deaths were related to heroin.
Additionally, four out of five heroin users indicated that their addition started with legally prescribed opioids, which, once the prescription expired, left them driven to find street drugs. These drugs are unregulated and extremely inconsistent in dosages, which plays a factor in overdoses.
In 2016, the NYS legislature and the Governor approved a package of bills to address the opioid/heroin crisis, including the implementation of a 7-day supply of opioids for acute pain. Recently, the Department of Health circulated guidance to health care practitioners that highlighted newly released CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids in patients with chronic pain, and recommends an initial duration of therapy of 3 days or less for acute pain. A recent report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the main CDC publication for public health information, indicates that dependency on opioids can occur within 3 days of continued use.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.