DOH finalizes PMP-EHR hardship waiver rulemaking

Senate Bill 5380 requires PMP integration for some practices by Jan. 1, 2022

Senate Bill 5380, a measure aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic, was signed into law during the 2019 legislative session. Starting next year, a prescription monitoring program-electronic health record integration mandate for practices with 10 or more prescribers will go into effect. Originally scheduled to take effect this past January, the WSMA successfully advocated for a delay to Jan. 1, 2022 to prevent the associated administrative requirements from burdening organizations already strained by the pandemic.

The WSMA secured a hardship waiver in the legislation for practices that are not able to comply with the mandate due to certain circumstances, including:

• Economic hardship • Technological limitations outside the control of the practice • Other exceptional circumstances • Unforeseen circumstances, such as widespread health care emergencies

The Washington State Department of Health recently finalized rulemaking around that process. The WSMA is waiting on a response from the DOH regarding when and how practices may submit hardship waivers, and will keep members apprised of developments.