The bill aims to study fentanyl testing in hospital emergency departments, considering frequency, costs, patient benefits and risks, privacy protections, and impact on patient-physician relationship. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will provide guidance on implementing fentanyl testing, raising awareness among clinicians about tested substances, and assessing the impact on overdose risk and health outcomes. The bill defines "hospital emergency department" in the context of this effort.
Tyler’s Law
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to complete, within one year after the bill’s enactment, a study on how frequently Medicare-participating hospital emergency departments test for fentanyl in patients experiencing an overdose, the costs associated with such testing, and how such testing may impact patients.
Within six months after the study’s completion and based on its results, HHS must issue guidance regarding (1) whether hospital emergency departments should implement fentanyl testing as a routine procedure for patients experiencing an overdose, (2) how to ensure clinicians know which substances they are testing for in routine drug tests, and (3) how fentanyl testing may affect the future risk of overdose and other health outcomes.
