ND SB2196

Creates a drug fatalities review panel appointed by the forensic pathology department of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences with multidisciplinary membership including forensic pathologists, pharmacists, healthcare representatives, addiction counselors, physicians, and state health officials.

Authorizes the State Department of Health and UND School of Medicine to provide administrative services including case file management, record maintenance, data collection and analysis, and issuance of an annual state report on drug-related fatalities.

Panel reviews deaths from prescription drug, illicit drug, or alcohol overdoses and identifies contributing factors, system gaps, community needs, and whether fatalities were preventable.

Panel meetings are closed to the public and all documentation is confidential except for annual state reports that exclude personally identifiable information; confidential records are not discoverable as evidence.

Panel may request patient records from healthcare facilities and providers from the most recent 36-month period related to identified drug fatalities.