| Summary |
Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee.
Sections 1 through 8 of the bill:
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Exempt veterinarians from complying with specific aspects
of the prescription drug monitoring program (program) that
are specific to prescriptions for human patients;
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Add reporting requirements for gabapentin, in addition to
prescriptions for controlled substances in this state, to the
program;
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Allow the medical director of a medical practice or hospital
to appoint designees to query the program on behalf of a
practitioner in the medical practice or hospital setting;
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Allow the department of health care policy and financing
to access the program, consistent with federal data privacy
requirements, for purposes of care coordination, utilization
review, and federally required reporting relating to
recipients of certain benefits; and
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Update current language in the laws relating to the program
by using more modern terminology.
Sections 9 and 11 create the substance use disorder prevention gap
grant program (grant program) in the department of public health and
environment (department). The grant program provides grants to
community-based organizations to fill gaps in funding for substance use
disorder prevention services in areas of highest need, including
community-oriented, children-oriented, youth-oriented, and
family-oriented prevention services.
The department, in conjunction with the Colorado substance use
disorders prevention collaborative (prevention collaborative), shall create
a publicly available prevention services gap assessment tool to direct
grant program awards to areas of highest need. After review of
applications, the prevention collaborative shall make recommendations
to the department, and, subject to available appropriations, the department
shall award 2-year grants based on those recommendations.
The bill requires the department to administer the grant program
and application process and authorizes the executive director of the
department to promulgate rules as necessary to implement the grant
program. The department shall begin accepting grant applications no later
than December 31, 2024.
The bill requires the general assembly to appropriate to the
department $1,500,000 from the general fund to implement the grant
program. The grant program repeals in 2028.
Section 10 permits a multidisciplinary and multiagency drug
overdose fatality review team established for a county, a city and county,
a group of counties or cities and counties, or an Indian tribe (local team)
to request and receive information from certain specified persons and
entities as necessary to carry out the purpose and duties of the local team.
Upon written request of the chair of a local team, a person or entity shall
provide the local team with information and records regarding the person
whose death or near death is being reviewed by the local team.
A person or entity that receives a records request from a local team
may charge the local team a reasonable fee for the service of duplicating
any records requested by the local team.
A person or entity, including a local or state agency, that provides
information or records to a local team is not subject to civil or criminal
liability or any professional disciplinary action pursuant to state law as a
result of providing the information or record.
Upon request of a local team, a person who is not a member of a
local team may attend and participate in a meeting at which a local team
reviews confidential information and considers a plan, an intervention, or
other course of conduct based on that review. The bill requires each
person at a local team meeting to sign a confidentiality form before
reviewing information and records received by the local team. Local team
meetings in which confidential information is discussed are exempt from
the open meetings provisions of the Colorado Sunshine Act of 1972.
A local team shall maintain the confidentiality of information
provided to the local team as required by state and federal law, and
information and records acquired or created by a local team are not
subject to inspection pursuant to the Colorado Open Records Act. Local
team members and a person who presents or provides information to a
local team may not be questioned in any civil or criminal proceeding or
disciplinary action regarding the information presented or provided.
Section 12 requires the department of health care policy and
financing to publish guidance for providers concerning reimbursement for
all variations of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment
interventions.
Section 13 requires the substance use screening, brief intervention,
and referral to treatment grant program to implement:
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A statewide adolescent substance use screening, brief
intervention, and referral practice that includes training and
technical assistance for appropriate professionals in
Colorado schools, with the purpose of identifying students
who would benefit from screening, brief intervention, and
potential referral to resources, including treatment; and
•
A statewide substance use screening, brief intervention,
and referral practice for pediatricians and professionals in
pediatric settings, with the purpose of identifying
adolescent patients who would benefit from screening,
brief intervention, and potential referral to resources,
including treatment.
Current law authorizes the center for research into substance use
disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery support strategies (center)
to conduct a statewide perinatal substance use data linkage project (data
linkage project) that uses ongoing collection, analysis, interpretation, and
dissemination of data for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of
public health actions to improve outcomes for families impacted by
substance use during pregnancy. Section 14:
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Requires the center to conduct the data linkage project;
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Requires the data linkage project to utilize data from
additional state and federal programs; and
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Expands the data linkage project to examine the education
of pregnant and postpartum women with substance use
disorders.
Section 15 authorizes the university of Colorado school of
medicine (school of medicine) to conduct a statewide opioid use disorder
prevalence data linkage project (data linkage project) that uses ongoing
collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data for the
planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health actions to
improve outcomes for individuals with opioid misuse or use disorders.
The bill includes sources of data to be used in the data linkage project.
The governor's office of information technology shall perform secure
linkage and anonymization of the data. The school of medicine will report
annually to certain committees of the general assembly on the data
linkage project and its outcomes.
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