A10727 Summary

• Requires healthcare practitioners licensed to prescribe controlled substances to complete three hours of training in pain management, palliative care, and addiction by July 1, 2017, and every three years thereafter, with exemptions available for those demonstrating no need or equivalent prior training.

• Mandates insurance coverage for unlimited medically necessary inpatient substance use disorder treatment in residential settings without preauthorization, limiting utilization review restrictions during the first 14 days of admission.

• Limits initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain to a seven-day supply, with practitioners able to issue additional prescriptions for subsequent consultations; defines acute pain as short-term pain excluding chronic pain, cancer care, hospice, and palliative care.

• Requires pharmacies to distribute educational materials about prescription controlled substance risks, addiction warning signs, the HOPELINE telephone number (1-877-8-HOPE-NY), and safe disposal procedures when dispensing controlled substances.

• Permits pharmacists to offer counseling and referral services to customers purchasing hypodermic syringes for purposes including preventing injection drug abuse, treating hepatitis C, preventing overdose, and providing HIV testing and prevention services.