STAND. COM. REP. NO. 912

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 693

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 693, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHARMACISTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to mandate reimbursement for services provided by participating registered pharmacists practicing within their scope of practice by private and public health plans in the State beginning January 1, 2024.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo; Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy; Board of Pharmacy; American Pharmacists Association; American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; AARP Hawai‘i; Community First, Inc.; Big Island Docs; Hawai‘i Pacific Health; Hawai‘i Pharmacists Association; The Family Medicine Center; KTA Super Stores; Pharmacare Hawaii; Walgreen Co.; National Community Pharmacists Association; The Keto Prescription Clinic, LLC; and twenty-eight individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and The Queen's Health System.

Your Committees find that pharmacists provide various services to patients other than dispensing medication, including educating them on how and when to check blood sugar, ways to avoid and manage hypoglycemia, how to take their medications correctly to avoid adverse effects, and various medication utilization techniques; performing immunizations; ordering routine drug therapy related tests; providing consultations to patients; and prescribing and dispensing opioid antagonists. Your Committees further find that pharmacies are geographically dispersed throughout the communities of the State with extended hours of operation, making them convenient places for patients to access health care, especially in rural areas and neighbor islands experiencing a shortage of health care providers. Your Committees find however, that many pharmacies in the State are closing due to the lack of a methodology by which pharmacists can submit claims to a patient's insurance plan for services other than dispensing medication. This measure will ensure that pharmacists are directly reimbursed for services they perform within their scope of practice, allowing them to continue to serve their communities and provide patients with access to health care throughout the State.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 693, S.D. 1, and recommend that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means,

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair