PHC: PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT - S.B. 660: FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 660 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Senator Shirley Johnson
Committee: Health Policy
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to delete references to "intractable pain" and, in some places, refer instead to pain and symptom management. Under the Code, an Advisory Committee on Pain and Symptom Management is created within the Department of Community Health (DCH). The Code prescribes the membership of the committee, including a registered professional nurse, a dentist, a pharmacist, and a physician's assistant with training in the treatment of intractable pain. Under the bill, these individuals would have to have training in pain and symptom management, instead of intractable pain.
The Code also requires the Department of Consumer and Industry Services, in consultation with the DCH, to develop, publish, and distribute an informational booklet on intractable pain. The bill, instead, would require a booklet on pain and symptom management.
In addition, the Code contains a number of legislative findings, including findings that the treatment of intractable pain is an appropriate issue for the Legislature to consider, and that the citizens of the State would be well served by the enactment of legislation that provides more and better information to health care consumers regarding the medical treatment of intractable pain, health care coverage and benefits for the treatment of intractable pain, and the education of health professionals in pain and symptom management. Additional findings state that the use of controlled substances is appropriate in the medical treatment of certain forms of intractable pain, and that some patients in this State with intractable pain are unable to obtain from their health care providers sufficient pain relief through the prescription of controlled substances. The bill would retain these findings but delete the term "intractable".
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Further, the Code contains a legislative statement that the official prescription form program was created to prevent the abuse and diversion of Schedule 2 controlled substances and not to prevent or inhibit the legitimate, medically recognized use of those controlled substances to treat "patients with cases of intractable" pain. The bill would delete the quoted language. The Code also states that it is the intent of the Legislature to permit and facilitate adequate treatment for intractable pain by licensed health professionals. The bill would delete the term "intractable".
MCL 333.16204a-333.16204d - Legislative Analyst: C. Layman
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Date Completed: 10-29-01 - Fiscal Analyst: D. Pattersonfloor\sb660 - Analysis available @ http://www.michiganlegislature.org
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.