Bill > H1713

This bill requires practitioners to assess and inform patients prior to prescribing certain opioid medications. Specifically, before issuing an extended-release long-acting opioid in a non-abuse deterrent form for outpatient use for the first time, practitioners must: (1) evaluate the patient's current condition, risk factors, and history of mental health or substance use disorders; (2) discuss the risks of addiction, overdose, and concurrent use of alcohol or other central nervous system depressants with the patient and, if the patient is a minor, the patient's parent or legal guardian; (3) inform the patient and, if applicable, the patient's parent or legal guardian that the prescribed medication is an appropriate course of treatment based on the medical need of the patient; and (4) obtain the patient's (and, if applicable, the patient's parent or legal guardian's) written informed consent on a form established by the department.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/H1713