SB 132-CONTROLLED SUB. DATA: EXEMPT VETERINARIAN  5:36:07 PM CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced that the final order of business would be SENATE BILL NO. 132 "An Act exempting veterinarians from the requirements of the controlled substance prescription database." 5:38:09 PM SENATOR ROGER HOLLAND, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, read the sponsor statement for SB 132 [included in the committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Alaska's 25th legislature created the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) in 2008. The legislative intent behind the PDMP was to create a database of prescriptions for controlled substances in the state. The PDMP may create obstacles for individuals seeking opioids to obtain multiple prescriptions from registered providers and may be a useful tool for human doctors in combating the opioid crisis. Under the current statutory framework, Alaska's veterinarians are required to participate in the PDMP, despite the irreconcilable differences between human and veterinary medical practice. PDMPs have been implemented in all 50 states, but 34 states have recognized the unsuitability of veterinary participation in the PDMP and exempted veterinarians. SB 132 would add Alaska to that list. The majority of states exempt veterinarians from PDMP because they have recognized that PDMPs are designed for use in human medicine; and veterinary exclusion from PDMPs does not increase risk to the public. Alaska's inclusion of veterinarians in the PDMP has produced no identifiable benefit; yet the PDMP has created a multitude of verifiable harms to the veterinary profession and the Alaskans they serve. The PDMP is inappropriate and not effective for use with animal patients, as animals do not have identifiers such as a social security number, and veterinarians must view human owners' private health data before treating an animal. Alaska has the highest veterinary licensure cost in the United States. Veterinary participation in the PDMP contributes to this unnecessary financial burden on a profession already experiencing extreme staffing shortages, decreasing availability of veterinary services to Alaskans. Moreso, a recent survey found attempted veterinary doctor shopping across the entire United States is essentially non-existent. Veterinarians are tightly regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Know Your Customer Act, and the State licensing board. SB 132 seeks to correct an expensive overreach so that Alaskans can have access to treatment for their pets without compromising public safety. 5:41:24 PM NIKKI ROSE, Staff, Senator Roger Holland, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Senator Holland, prime sponsor, gave the sectional analysis of SB 132 [included in the committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Sec. 1 AS 17.30.200(o), relating to the controlled substance prescription database, is amended by deleting the Board of Veterinary Examiners from the list of required notification by the Board of Pharmacy when a practitioner registers with the database. Sec. 2 Adds veterinarians to the list of practitioners not required to comply with the controlled substance prescription database under AS 17.30.200(t). Sec. 3 Adds a definition of "practitioner" to AS 17.30.200(u) Sec. 4 Repeals AS 08.98.050(a)(10), which obligates the board of veterinary examiners to require licensees to register with the controlled substance prescription database. 5:42:31 PM CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked who manages the PDMP. SENATOR HOLLAND explained that the expert who could answer that question was no longer available. CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY directed the question to Sara Chambers from the Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development (DCCED). 5:43:35 PM SARA CHAMBERS, Director, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development (DCCED), replied that the PDMP is monitored by DCCED staff through the Board of Pharmacy which is in charge of PDMP implementation. 5:44:08 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY asked for confirmation of his understanding that when a pet is owned by multiple parties, as in a family pet, whoever brings the pet to the veterinarian would have their identification (ID) number entered into the PDMP. SENATOR HOLLAND explained that the ID number could come from any person who drops off a pet when the prescription of opioids is necessary; it does not have to be the owner. He stated that the regulations simply require a number to be entered. REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY stated that this seems to dilute effectiveness of the PDMP since multiple identifiers could be listed for the same animal. SENATOR HOLLAND explained that due to time constraints, he had not been able to use the prepared PowerPoint during his presentation, and he noted that it is a valuable resource for answering many of the basics about the bill. CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked what collaboration has occurred between DCCED and veterinarians to solve issues with PMDP. 5:46:59 PM MS. CHAMBERS responded that DCCED has conducted many conversations with the Board of Pharmacy and the Board of Veterinary Examiners to address how regulations should be set to conform with statute and whether or not statute needs to be changed. She said that there have been varying levels of follow through among the different entities that have a responsibility to participate in these discussions. She reported that the department has published instructions on how veterinarians can use the PDMP and that she had received positive feedback from veterinarians that the instructions made using the PDMP possible. However, she mentioned that many veterinarians still have concerns about how to align day-to-day operations with statute. 5:49:20 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked how long the department has been working with veterinarians to fix the issue. MS. CHAMBERS answered since the legislation passed in 2016. 5:49:49 PM CO-CHAIR SNYDER shared her understanding that many of the issues veterinarians have been experiencing with PMDP relate to the navigability of the database itself. She asked what kind of changes have been made to the database to make it more [user friendly]. MS. CHAMBERS voiced her belief that there had been changes implemented but directed the question to Laura Carrillo for more details on PMDP. SENATOR HOLLAND also referred the question to Michaela Dick, a veterinarian who has had a lot of experience with the PDMP and has been advocating for change. 5:51:27 PM CO-CHAIR SNYDER restated her question about what changes, if any, have been made to the database since 2017. MICHAELA DICK, DMV, Past President, Alaska Veterinary Association, replied that "we haven't really been working on it" and that there has been more of a focus on conversations with the department and the boards due to investigations that have been launched on veterinarians not being able to use the system. She explained that because veterinarians work with animals rather than people, they are unable to look up anything in the database since their patients do not have identification numbers. She opined that any fixes made to the database did not solve the core problem of veterinarians being unable to comply with statute. 5:53:35 PM REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked what changes to regulation have been discussed to make the PDMP more user-friendly for veterinarians while still meeting the public health need of tracking opioids. First, she posited that vets could be required to login only on days that they prescribe opioids. Second, she suggested making the only ID number associated with the animal be connected to the responsible financial party. 5:55:16 PM LAURA CARRILLO, Administrator, Board of Pharmacy, Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, explained that the department has had "very fruitful discussions" with the Board of Veterinary Examiners but the discussions have not yet resulted in policy suggestions. She voiced concern about comingling of data and explained that DCCED has adjusted coding within the database to clarify species and published guidelines to help veterinarians know which codes to use. She deferred the question about regulations around discerning pet ownership to the veterinarians. CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced that SB 132 was held over.