NY State Senate Bill 2021-S4364

Senate Bill S4364

2021-2022 Legislative Session

Relates to including pain management medications on a death certificate where a death is caused by an opioid overdose

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 05, 2022	referred to health
Feb 03, 2021	referred to health

2021-S4364 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A3030
Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §4141, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: A9574
2023-2024: S2696, A1049

2021-S4364 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Includes pain management medications that the decedent was prescribed, such as gabapentin, on a death certificate where a death is caused by an opioid overdose.

2021-S4364 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S4364

SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to including pain
management medications on a death certificate where a death is caused by
an opioid overdose

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this legislation is to require that in the case of opioid
overdose any other pain management medications prescribed to the dece-
dent is recorded on the death certificate.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1- Amends section 4141 (d) (4) of the public health law, to
require that in the case of opioid death, the death certificate should
include any other pain management medications, with a particular empha-
sis on gabapentin, that the decedent was prescribed.

Section 2 - Effective Date - This act shall take effect immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Gababpentin aka Neurotin is a non-narcotic drug used to treat nerve pain
however, doctors have begun prescribing it for hot flashes, migraines,
restless leg syndrome, fibromyalgia, and to ease the symptoms of alcohol
detoxification. According to a New England Journal of Medicine, it is
one of the most prescribed prescription drugs in the United States, in
2016, it was the 10th most prescribed.

Gabapentin prescriptions increased approximately 24% per year from 1
million in 2004 to 10.5 million in 2015. The number of deaths involving
gabapentoids has increased and 79% of these deaths also involved
opioids. Medical journals have noted that the drug is highly sought
after as method to intensify the effects of opioids. The combination of
opioids with gabapentin or pregabalin potentially increases the risk of
overdose death.

In an effort to curb the misuse of gabapentin, data must be collected to
properly quantify the problem and adequately deploy resources.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2019-2020: A.9574

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2021-S4364 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4364
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 3, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in  relation  to  including  pain
   management  medications on a death certificate where a death is caused
   by an opioid overdose

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Paragraph  (d)  of  subdivision  4 of section 4141 of the
 public health law, as amended by chapter 443 of the  laws  of  2019,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   (d)  Where  a  death is caused by an opioid overdose, such information
 shall be indicated on the certificate, including, if known to the person
 completing the death certificate, the specific opioid  that  caused  the
 death of the decedent AND ANY OTHER PAIN MANAGEMENT MEDICATIONS, INCLUD-
 ING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO GABAPENTIN, THAT THE DECEDENT WAS PRESCRIBED,
 along with  any  other  related  information  as  the  commissioner  may
 require.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01904-01-1

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