AZ HB2837

Amends Arizona Revised Statutes sections 36-2601 and 36-2606 to define "patient utilization report" as controlled substances prescription monitoring program data, clinical and other alerts defined by the board, and information on overdoses, convictions, and stolen prescriptions.

Requires medical practitioners to obtain a patient utilization report for a patient before prescribing opioid analgesics or benzodiazepines in schedules II-IV at the beginning of each new course of treatment and at least quarterly thereafter.

Requires dispensers to obtain a patient utilization report for a patient before dispensing schedule II controlled substances at the beginning of each new course of treatment.

Exempts from reporting requirements patients receiving hospice, palliative, cancer, or dialysis care; patients in inpatient facilities; and patients receiving controlled substances for acute conditions or procedures lasting five days or less.

Allows integration of controlled substances prescription monitoring program data into electronic medical records to satisfy the central database review requirement and directs the board to promote data sharing agreements for this integration.