SENATE MEMORIAL 46

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2011

INTRODUCED BY

John M. Sapien

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE CREATION OF A WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP STANDARDS FOR ELECTRONIC PRIOR AUTHORIZATION REQUEST TRANSACTIONS FOR DRUGS AND DEVICES.

     WHEREAS, according to the 2009 national progress report on e-prescribing by the national association of boards of pharmacy, the number of electronic prescriptions increased by one hundred eighty-one percent from 2008 to 2009. Over one hundred ninety million e-prescriptions were routed in 2009, compared with sixty-eight million in 2008 and twenty-nine million in 2007. Correlating with those increases, one hundred fifty-six thousand prescribers were using e-prescriptions by the end of 2009, compared with seventy-four thousand at the end of 2008, a one hundred nine percent increase; and

     WHEREAS, the 2009 national progress report on e-prescribing also indicates that eighty-five percent of community pharmacies in the United States are connected and able to receive e-prescriptions from prescribers; and

     WHEREAS, the use of e-prescribing will likely continue to grow, influenced in part by new government regulations such as the federal drug enforcement administration's interim final rule for electronic prescribing of controlled substances and the meaningful-use requirements in federal health care reform legislation; and

     WHEREAS, given the increasing number of e-prescriptions and the current lack of standards on e-prescribing and e-prior authorization, standardized processes should be established in order to reduce costs in the system and streamline the process for physicians, pharmacists and patients; and

     WHEREAS, the American medical association, the pharmaceutical care management association, the pharmaceutical research and manufacturers of America and others affected have endorsed principles to develop standards for e-prescribing;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico legislative council be requested to direct the legislative health and human services committee to hold a hearing on or before November 1, 2011 on developing standards for e-prior authorization request transactions for drugs and devices, with the goal of maximizing administrative simplification and efficiency in preparation for electronic transmission; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative health and human services committee invite representatives from the health medical records Lovelace foundation, the New Mexico prescription improvement coalition and other interested stakeholders to the hearing on developing the standards for e-prior authorization request transactions for drugs and devices; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the co-chairs of the New Mexico legislative council.

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