HI SB505

Requires healthcare providers authorized to prescribe opioids to adopt written policies for informed consent agreements with patients at elevated risk of opioid dependency, effective July 1, 2018.

Defines "qualifying opioid therapy patients" as those requiring opioid treatment for more than three months, those prescribed opioids and benzodiazepines together, or those prescribed doses exceeding ninety morphine equivalent doses.

Limits initial concurrent prescriptions for opioids and benzodiazepines to seven consecutive days maximum, with exceptions for post-operative pain, chronic pain management, substance abuse treatment, cancer, palliative care, and hospice care.

Requires prescribing practitioners to document in patient medical records the condition justifying concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions longer than seven days and that alternative treatments were not appropriate.

Directs the Department of Health to develop and post a template opioid therapy informed consent agreement on its website by December 31, 2017; adds nursing license disciplinary grounds for violations of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act; repeals June 30, 2023.