What's happening
This bill requires physicians, nurses, and dentists in New York to complete three hours of continuing education on prescribing opiates, psychotropic drugs, and addiction risks to maintain their licenses.
Why it matters
Raises the standard of care for prescribers. By mandating specific education on prescribing opiates and psychotropic drugs, the bill aims to ensure that doctors, nurses, and dentists are better informed about safe prescribing practices, potentially reducing inappropriate or excessive prescriptions.
Directly addresses addiction prevention. Required coursework must focus on addiction risks, prevention, treatment, and mitigation, signaling a systemic shift toward identifying and curbing substance use disorders at the point of care.
Expands oversight and accountability. The Office of the Professions, under the commissioner's regulations, will standardize and oversee these trainings, possibly leading to more consistent and up-to-date knowledge across providers and making it easier to track compliance.
Responds to the opioid crisis and mental health concerns. By targeting the most commonly abused and misused drug classes, the bill is a direct legislative response to ongoing public health crises involving opioid addiction and the complexities of psychotropic medication use.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Addiction Training for Clinicians
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to higher education
- Referred to higher education
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.
Require Addiction Training for Clinicians
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Patrick Burke
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1537
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 15, 2019
Introduced by Sens. KENNEDY, MONTGOMERY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to continuing medical education for doctors, nurses and pharmacists
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Michael David Israel physician training law".
§ 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6524-a to read as follows:
§ 6524-a. Mandatory continuing medical education. 1. All physicians, in order to maintain their license in good standing, must complete three hours of continuing medical education on the prescription of opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs and the risks of addiction in their administration. The classes shall be taught and administered by the office of the professions according to regulations set by the commissioner and shall focus on the prevention, treatment and mitigation of such addictions.
2. For purposes of this section:
a. "opiate analgesics" shall mean the medicines buprenorphine, butorphanol, codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, morphine, nalbuphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, pentazocine and propoxyphene as well as their brand names, isomers and combinations.
b. "psychotropic drugs" shall mean any drug or medicine that affects mental activity, behavior or perception including anti-psychotics, antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs or anxiolytics and hypnotics.
§ 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6905-a to read as follows:
§ 6905-a. Mandatory continuing medical education. 1. All registered professional nurses, in order to maintain their license in good stand-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01597-01-9
S. 1537 2
ing, must complete three hours of continuing medical education on the prescription of opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs and the risks of addiction in their administration. The classes shall be taught and administered by the office of the professions according to regulations set by the commissioner and shall focus on the prevention, treatment and mitigation of such addictions.
2. For purposes of this section:
a. "opiate analgesics" shall mean the medicines buprenorphine, butorphanol, codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, morphine, nalbuphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, pentazocine and propoxyphene as well as their brand names, isomers and combinations.
b. "psychotropic drugs" shall mean any drug or medicine that affects mental activity, behavior or perception including anti-psychotics, antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs or anxiolytics and hypnotics.
§ 4. Section 6604-a of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
7. (a) All dentists, in order to maintain their license in good standing, must complete three hours of continuing medical education on the prescription of opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs and the risks of addiction in their administration. The classes shall be taught and administered by the office of the professions according to regulations set by the commissioner and shall focus on the prevention, treatment and mitigation of such addictions.
(b) For purposes of this section:
i. "opiate analgesics" shall mean the medicines buprenorphine, butorphanol, codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, levorphanol, meperidine, methadone, morphine, nalbuphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, pentazocine and propoxyphene as well as their brand names, isomers and combinations; and
ii. "psychotropic drugs" shall mean any drug or medicine that affects mental activity, behavior or perception including antipsychotics, antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs or anxiolytics and hypnotics.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to continuing medical education for doctors, nurses and pharmacists
Purpose
This bill requires that doctors, nurses, and dentists complete at least 3 hours of continuing education on opiate analgesics and psycho-tropic drugs each year.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 defines this bill as the Michael David Israel Physician Train- ing Law.
Section 2 adds a new section to the education law that requires that all physicians complete three hours of continuing education on the prescription of opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs and the risks of addiction to such drugs. Section 2 also defines opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs.
Section 3 adds a new section to the education law that requires that all nurses complete three hours of continuing education on the prescription of opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs and the risks of addiction to such drugs. Section 3 also defines opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs.
Section 4 amends a section to the education law that requires that all pharmacists complete at least three hours of continuing education on The prescription of opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs and the risks of addiction to such drugs. Section 4 also defines opiate analgesics and psychotropic drugs.
Section 5 is the enacting clause.
Justification
Michael David Israel, the son of Avi and Julie Israel, was one of many young people across New York State who battled with prescription drug abuse. On June 4, 2011 Michael David Israel tragically took his own life.
Michael's story is not a unique one. Nationally deaths from prescription opiates have tripled since 1999, and overdoses from prescription opiates now hospitalize more people each year than cocaine or heroin. Addi- tionally, in a recent University at Buffalo study of 75 addicts, 41 percent reported their addiction began with medicine prescribed legally by their doctors.
The rate at which doctors are prescribing opiates is also alarming. In New York State 37 prescriptions are written for hydrocodone, fentanyl, and oxycodone for every 100 New Yorkers. In Western New York that rate is almost double, with 65 prescriptions being written for every 100 residents.
These statistics are concerning, and in some regards alarming. This bill would require medical professionals to continue to receive training and education 'on the dangers of opiate abuse and addiction as well as stra- tegies to migrate patients from highly addictive pain management solutions to lower risk pain management solutions. As new drugs and strategies continue to be developed, it is important that medical professionals stay up to date on this growing epidemic.
Legislative history
2012: S.6180/A.9102 Referred to Higher Education
2013-14: S483 Referred to Higher Education
2015-16: S651 Referred to Higher Education
2017-18:S.650 Referred to Higher Education
Fiscal implications
None to the state.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.