HB232 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Russell BedsoleRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Controlled substance database, access by medical examiners, coroners, and deputy coroners, in certain circumstances, Sec. 20-2-214 am'd.

Summary

HB232 updates Alabama's controlled substances database to let medical examiners, coroners, and deputy coroners access it in certain investigations, and expands and clarifies who else can access the database under specific limits.

What This Bill Does

The bill amends the database access rules to specify who can view information, including medical examiners and coroners for death investigations, licensed practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, law enforcement, and state agencies, all with defined limits. It sets training and eligibility requirements for certain users (notably coroners/death investigators) and clarifies that access is generally limited to information about the user or their patients, with boards potentially imposing additional requirements. It also allows de-identified aggregate data to be released for research or educational purposes under a data-use agreement, and permits cross-state PDMP data access under specified conditions.

Who It Affects

• Medical examiners, coroners, and deputy coroners: gain access to the database for investigations into cause and manner of death, subject to training and review.
• Licensed practitioners (prescribers) and certain professional staff: access limited to information about themselves, their patients, or those they oversee, with potential board-imposed requirements.
• Certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNPs) and certified nurse midwives (CNMs) with Qualified Alabama Controlled Substances Registration Certificate (QACSC): access limited to current or prospective patients.
• Physician assistants: access limited to information about current patients of the physician they assist.
• Licensed pharmacists: access limited to information about the patient or prescribing practitioner tied to a prescription; no obligation to access the database.
• Law enforcement (state/local and federal): access with probable cause to prescription information as allowed by law.
• Department of Public Health staff and consultants: access to operate the database, conduct approved research, and implement data requests.
• Other states' PDMPs recognized by national programs: access under conditions and limitations similar to Alabama’s rules.
• Alabama Medicaid Agency representatives: access limited to inquiries about possible misuse or abuse by Medicaid recipients.
• Board of Nursing representatives (with good cause): may receive information about licensees under investigation or disciplinary action, with sharing allowed to relevant agencies.
• Researchers and educators (via de-identified data): may receive aggregated statewide or regional data under a data-use agreement and after removing identifying information.

Key Provisions

• Authorization for medical examiners, coroners, and deputy coroners to access the controlled substances database in investigations of cause and manner of death, with required training and standards.
• Expanded access categories for licensed practitioners, CRNPs/CNMs with QACSC, physician assistants, pharmacists, and law enforcement, each with defined scope and limitations on what information may be accessed.
• Access to the database by department staff and consultants to operate, maintain, and research the database, subject to restrictions.
• Recognition and conditional access for out-of-state PDMPs and cross-state sharing under approved procedures and limitations.
• Limited access for Alabama Medicaid Agency representatives to assess possible misuse or abuse by Medicaid recipients.
• Authority for the Board of Nursing to receive licensee information in investigation or disciplinary contexts, with permissible sharing to other agencies involved in those matters.
• Provisions for the release of de-identified aggregate data for statistical, research, or educational purposes, including privacy safeguards and data-use agreements.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Controlled Substances