Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 3, September 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
KRS
72.026,
216B.015(13),
218A.010(12),
(40),
218A.202,
218A.205(2) (a),
(6),
218A.240(7)(a),
42 C.F.R. Part 2
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
218A.202(1) directs the
Cabinet for Health and Family Services to establish and maintain an electronic
system for monitoring Schedule II, III, IV, and V controlled substances.
KRS
218A.250 requires the cabinet to promulgate
administrative regulations pursuant to KRS Chapter 13A for carrying out the
provisions of KRS Chapter 218A. This administrative regulation establishes
criteria for reporting prescription data, establishes procedures to correct
errors, and allows for disclosure of data to authorized persons.
Section 1. Definitions.
(1) "Branch" means the Drug Enforcement and
Professional Practices Branch in the Division of Audits and Investigations,
Office of Inspector General, Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
(2) "Cabinet personnel" means an individual
who:
(a)
1.
Is directly employed by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services;
or
2. Is employed by an agent or
contractor of the cabinet;
(b) Has undergone KASPER training;
and
(c) Has been approved to use
the KASPER system.
(3)
"Central registry" is an entity defined by
908 KAR 1:374, Section 1(3) that
may report information to KASPER on behalf of a narcotic treatment
program.
(4) "Dispenser" is defined
by KRS
218A.010(12), and:
(a) Includes a dispenser who has a DEA (Drug
Enforcement Administration) number or is a pharmacist who owns or is employed
by a facility that operates a pharmacy that has a DEA number;
(b) Includes a narcotic treatment program
licensed pursuant to
908 KAR 1:374; and
(c) Does not include an individual licensed
to practice veterinary medicine under KRS Chapter 321.
(5) "Health facility" is defined by
KRS
216B.015(13).
(6) "KASPER" means Kentucky All-Schedule
Prescription Electronic Reporting System.
(7) "Patient identifier" means a patient's:
(a) Full name;
(b) Address, including zip code;
(c) Date of birth; and
(d) Social Security number or an alternative
identification number established pursuant to Section 5 of this administrative
regulation.
(8)
"Practitioner" is defined by
KRS
218A.010(40).
(9) "Report" means a compilation of data
concerning a patient, dispenser, practitioner, or controlled
substance.
(10) "Suspected drug
overdose" means an acute condition that:
(a)
Includes conditions such as physical illness, coma, mania, or hysteria that is
the result of consumption or use of a controlled substance, or another
substance with which a controlled substance was combined; and
(b) Relates to injury or poisoning by any
substance corresponding to the following International Classification of
Disease (ICD) version 10 (ICD-10) codes available at
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10:
1. T40;
2. T42; or
3. T43.
Section 2. Data Reporting.
(1) A dispenser or a health facility that has
a DEA number shall report all dispensed Schedule II, III, IV, or V controlled
substances, except:
(a) During the
circumstances specified in
KRS
218A.202(3)(a) through (c);
or
(b) If the controlled substance
is dispensed by a narcotic treatment program for use to treat substance use
disorder and the patient has not provided written consent that meets the
requirements of 42 C.F.R.
2.31.
(2) A dispenser of a Schedule II, III, I V,
or V controlled substance shall transmit or provide the following data to the
cabinet or the cabinet's agent:
(a) Patient
identifier;
(b) National drug code
of the drug dispensed;
(c) Metric
quantity of the drug dispensed;
(d)
Date of dispensing;
(e) Estimated
days the supply of dispensed medication will last;
(f) Drug Enforcement Administration
registration number of the prescriber;
(g) Prescription number or dispensing
identification number assigned by the dispenser or health facility;
and
(h) The Drug Enforcement
Administration registration number of the dispenser.
(3) The data identified in subsection (2) of
this section shall be transmitted no later than close of business on the
business day immediately following the dispensing unless the cabinet grants an
extension as provided in subsection (4) or (5) of this section.
(4)
(a) An
extension may be granted if the dispenser, health facility, or central
registry:
1. Suffers a mechanical or
electronic failure; or
2. Cannot
meet the deadline established by subsection (3) of this section because of
reasons beyond his or her control.
(b) To request an extension, a written
request shall:
1. Be submitted to the branch:
a. Within twenty-four (24) hours of discovery
of the circumstances necessitating the request; or
b. If state offices are closed, on the next
day that state offices are open for business following discovery of the
circumstances necessitating the request; and
2. Provide a justification for the extension,
including the length of time the extension is necessary.
(5) An extension shall be granted
if the cabinet or its agent is unable to receive electronic reports transmitted
by the dispenser.
(6) Except as
provided in subsection (8) of this section, the data shall be transmitted by:
(a) An electronic device compatible with the
receiving device of the cabinet or the cabinet's agent;
(b) Secure File Transfer Protocol;
(c) https protocol; or
(d) Secure Virtual Private Network
connection.
(7) The data
shall be transmitted in the telecommunications format for controlled substances
established by the most recent version of the Implementation Guide, ASAP
Standard for Prescription Monitoring Programs, developed by the American
Society for Automation in Pharmacy available at asapnet.org, or a comparable
format approved by the branch.
(8)
A dispenser who does not have an automated recordkeeping system capable of
producing an electronic report in the telecommunications format for controlled
substances established by the Implementation Guide, ASAP Standard for
Prescription Monitoring Programs shall report the data identified in subsection
(2) of this section using an Internet accessible web portal designated by the
cabinet.
(9) To meet the reporting
requirement of KRS
218A.202(4), a hospital
shall report to the cabinet all positive toxicology screens ordered by the
hospital's emergency department to evaluate a patient's suspected drug overdose
via the Kentucky Health Information Exchange.
Section 3. Compliance. A dispenser may
presume that the patient identification information provided by the patient or
the patient's agent in accordance with Section 5 of this administrative
regulation is correct.
Section 4.
Request for Report.
(1) A written or
electronic request shall be filed with the cabinet prior to the release of a
report, except for a subpoena issued by a grand jury or an appropriate court
order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(2) A request for a KASPER patient report
shall be made electronically at
www.chfs.ky.gov/KASPER.
(3)
(a) A
request for a KASPER provider report made by a law enforcement or prosecutorial
official authorized to receive data under
KRS
218A.202, or a designated representative of a
board responsible for the licensure, regulation, or discipline of prescribing
practitioners shall be made by written application on the KASPER Report Request
for Law Enforcement and Licensure Boards, Form DCB-20L.
(b) If the request made by a law enforcement
or prosecutorial official authorized to receive data under
KRS
218A.202 is for KASPER data on dispensing of
controlled substances by a narcotic treatment program to treat substance use
disorder, a report shall not be disclosed to the official unless there is a
valid court order and subpoena requiring the release of the information and all
other applicable provisions of 42 C.F.R. Part 2 , Subpart E are
met.
(4) A medical
examiner engaged in a death investigation pursuant to
KRS
72.026 may query KASPER for a report on the
decedent.
Section 5.
Patient Identification Number.
(1) A patient
or the person obtaining the controlled substance on behalf of the patient shall
disclose to the dispenser the patient's Social Security number for purposes of
the dispenser's mandatory reporting to KASPER.
(2) If a patient is an adult who does not
have a Social Security number, the patient's driver's license number shall be
disclosed.
(3) If a patient is an
adult who has not been assigned a Social Security number or a driver's license
number, the number 000-00-0000 shall be used in the Social Security
field.
(4) If a patient is a child
who does not have a Social Security number or a driver's license number, the
number "000-00-0000" shall be used in the Social Security field.
(5) If a patient is an animal, the number
"000-00-0000" shall be used in the Social Security number field.
Section 6. KASPER Data and Trend
Reports. Cabinet personnel shall have authorized access to the data obtained
from the KASPER system and trend reports in accordance with
KRS
218A.240(7)(a).
Section 7. Data Retention. Data shall be
maintained in KASPER according to the Office of Inspector General's retention
schedule on file with the State Libraries, Archives and Records
Commission.
Section 8. Error
Resolution.
(1) A patient, patient's
representative, practitioner, pharmacist, health facility, or private
practitioner's office or clinic to whom a report has been disclosed under
KRS
218A.202(9) or this
administrative regulation may request that information contained in KASPER be
corrected if the patient, patient's representative, practitioner, pharmacist,
health facility, or private practitioner's office or clinic believes that any
information is inaccurate. The patient, patient's representative, practitioner,
pharmacist, health facility, or private practitioner's office or clinic shall:
(a) Contact the dispenser who reported the
information required by Section 2(2) of this administrative regulation;
and
(b) Request that the dispenser
correct the information.
(2) If, upon receipt of a request from a
patient, patient's representative, practitioner, pharmacist, health facility,
or private practitioner's office or clinic pursuant to subsection (1) of this
section, the dispenser confirms that the information was reported in error, the
dispenser shall:
(a) Transmit corrected
information to update the KASPER database within seven (7) calendar days of the
request for the correction; and
(b)
Notify the patient, patient's representative, practitioner, pharmacist, health
facility, or private practitioner's office or clinic that the corrected
information has been transmitted.
(3) If a dispenser identifies a KASPER system
generated error, the dispenser shall notify the branch. Upon verification of
the error, the branch shall:
(a) Correct the
information in the KASPER database; and
(b) Notify the patient, patient's
representative, practitioner, pharmacist, health facility, private
practitioner's office or clinic within five (5) working days of the
correction.
Section
9. Referrals to Licensing Boards. If the cabinet becomes aware
that a prescriber or dispenser has failed to comply with the reporting
requirements of KRS
218A.202 and this administrative regulation,
the cabinet shall notify the licensing board or agency responsible for
licensing the prescriber or dispenser.
Section
10. Disclosure of Data or Report.
(1) The cabinet shall only disclose data to:
(a) The persons and entities authorized to
receive that data under
KRS
218A.202(7); and
(b) The persons and entities authorized to
receive data pursuant to 42 C.F.R. Part 2, Subparts C, D, and E if the data to
be disclosed includes information on controlled substances dispensed by a
narcotic treatment program for use to treat substance use disorder.
(2) As a condition precedent to
the disclosure of data or a report pursuant to
KRS
218A.202(7)(f), a hospital
or long-term care facility shall maintain, and provide upon request by the
cabinet, a copy of the hospital or long-term care facility's policy for the
management of KASPER data and reports, which:
(a) Describes the hospital or long-term care
facility's internal procedures for educating the designated employee or
employees on the:
1. Proper use of the KASPER
system;
2. Prohibition on the
improper use or intentional disclosure of KASPER data to unauthorized
individuals; and
3. Sanctions
imposed for the improper use or intentional disclosure of KASPER data to
unauthorized individuals, including criminal misdemeanor offenses;
and
(b) Describes the
hospital or long-term care facility's internal procedures for auditing the
account, including:
1. The manner in which an
employee is added to or removed from access to the account if the employee ends
employment or is no longer designated to query KASPER; and
2. The actions taken if a designated employee
with access to the employer's KASPER account intentionally misuses his or her
privileges to KASPER data or a report, which shall include a report of the
incident to the branch.
(3)
(a) An
individual authorized to receive data under
KRS
218A.202(7) shall not
provide the data to any other entity except:
1. As provided in
KRS
218A.202(9); and
2. For substance use disorder treatment data,
as provided in 42 C.F.R.
2.32; or
(b) As provided in paragraph (c) of this
subsection.
(c) In addition to the
purposes authorized under
KRS
218A.202(9)(e), and pursuant
to KRS
218A.205(2)(a) and (6), a
practitioner or pharmacist who obtains KASPER data or a report under
KRS
218A.202(7)(e) 1. or who in
good faith believes that any person, including a patient, has violated the law
in attempting to obtain a prescription for a controlled substance, may report
suspected improper or illegal use of a controlled substance to law enforcement
or the appropriate licensing board.
(4) A hospital or long-term care facility
shall maintain and adhere to the entity's internal policy regarding the
management of KASPER data and reports.
Section 11. Incorporation by Reference.
(1) "KASPER Report Request for Law
Enforcement and Licensure Boards", Form DCB-20L, October 2022, is incorporated
by reference.
(2) This material may
be inspected, copied, or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the
Drug Enforcement and Professional Practices Branch, Office of the Inspector
General, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, 275 E. Main Street, Frankfort,
Kentucky 40621, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This material may
also be viewed on the Office of Inspector General's Web site at:
https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/os/oig/dai/deppb/Pages/kasper.aspx.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
194A.050,
218A.202(1),
(18),
218A.250