Bill > S2609

This bill: - Establishes a statewide program to provide remote consultations for chronic pain management to individuals over 17, including screening, diagnosis, and referrals (Section 1). - Expands the Health Policy Commission's responsibilities to include pain management, including non-opioid and non-pharmaceutical options (Sections 2-3). - Creates a Substance Use Prevention, Education, and Screening Trust Fund to support school-based alcohol and substance use prevention and intervention programs (Section 4). - Includes chronic pain as a focus area for the Center for Health Information and Analysis (Sections 5-6). - Makes various changes to the Board of Registration in Nursing, including increasing the number of registered nurses and requiring representation from those providing care for patients with substance use disorders and chronic pain (Sections 7-10). - Makes changes to the Department of Mental Health's licensing and regulation of facilities providing mental health services (Sections 11-14). - Requires insurance plans to provide coverage and access to a broad spectrum of pain management services, including alternatives to opioid prescriptions (Sections 18, 67, 71, 74, 77). - Requires various changes related to electronic prescribing of controlled substances (Sections 19-32). - Establishes requirements for opioid agonist and antagonist treatment in correctional facilities (Sections 57, 61-64). - Creates a student loan repayment program for human services workers (Section 40). - Requires acute care hospitals and satellite emergency facilities to maintain protocols to provide evidence-based interventions and treatment referrals for opioid overdose patients (Sections 40, 42-47).

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S2609