Mitch Perry
Rick Scott signed SB 800, the Senate companion to House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz’s HB 1191, putting medication synchronization into law.
What’s that, you ask?
Many patients, especially those with chronic conditions who may have been prescribed medications from different specialized physicians, currently face various refill dates and multiple trips to the pharmacy each to maintain their prescribed treatment plan.
This lack of alignment (or synchronization) in prescription fill dates has been identified as a major contributor to medication nonadherence, which results in bad health outcomes for patients and an estimated annual impact of $300 billion a year in avoidable costs to the U.S. health care system.
The new law now prohibits health care companies from denying patients the ability to receive a partial refill of a prescription if they choose to enroll in a medication synchronization program through their pharmacy. This should allow more patients to synchronize their prescription plan and lead to better health outcomes.
“This new law is an invaluable tool for elderly and chronically ill patients in Florida who find it burdensome to make multiple trips to the pharmacy each month,” Cruz said on Thursday. “Medication synchronization will lead to better health outcomes and longer lives for thousands of Floridians who are in need of continuing care. I am grateful to my colleagues for their overwhelming support of this legislation, and I thank Governor Scott for signing it into law.”
