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SB101 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF THE PATIENT-PRACTITIONER RELATIONSHIP.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF THE PATIENT-PRACTITIONER RELATIONSHIP.

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Poore
Last action
2025-07-21
Official status
Lieu/Substituted 5/6/25
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation includes claims about prescribing medications that are not directly supported by the provided official source material.

Expanding Definition of Patient-Practitioner Relationship for Opioid Treatment

The bill changes how doctors and patients can form a relationship when treating opioid use disorder.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new part (g) to the definition of 'patient-practitioner relationship' in Delaware law, allowing practitioners to treat patients for opioid use disorder without needing an existing patient-practitioner relationship.
  • Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to drafting standards.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Doctors who treat patients for opioid use disorder
  • Patients seeking treatment for opioid use disorder

Terms To Know

Patient-practitioner relationship
The official term used in Delaware law to describe the connection between a doctor and patient when providing medical care.
Opioid use disorder
A condition where someone has trouble controlling their opioid drug use, leading to harmful effects on health or daily life.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how long the new patient-practitioner relationship can last without an in-person evaluation.
  • It is unclear if this change will increase access to treatment for all patients with opioid use disorder.

Bill History

  1. 2025-07-21 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 101 - Signed by Governor

  2. 2025-06-25 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 101 - Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 1 ABSENT 1 VACANT

  3. 2025-06-11 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 101 - Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 10 Favorable, 1 On Its Merits

  4. 2025-05-14 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 101 - Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House

  5. 2025-05-13 Delaware General Assembly

    SS 1 for SB 101 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  6. 2025-05-06 Delaware General Assembly

    Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 101

  7. 2025-04-17 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 7 On Its Merits

  8. 2025-04-09 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced and Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF THE PATIENT-PRACTITIONER RELATIONSHIP.
This Act expands the definition of “patient-practitioner relationship” to include practitioners and patients, that provide and seek treatment for, opioid use disorder as defined in § 6003 of Title 24.

This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Poore & Rep. K. Johnson

Sens. Hansen, Seigfried; Rep. Burns

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE BILL NO. 101

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF THE PATIENT-PRACTITIONER RELATIONSHIP.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend Chapter 47, Title 16 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 4701. Definitions.

(34) “Patient-practitioner relationship” means, with respect to prescribing drugs for a patient, that the practitioner is a licensed practitioner

who:

who meets one or more of the following:

a. Has conducted at least 1 in-person medical evaluation of the patient and performed a medical history and physical examination sufficient to establish a diagnosis and to identify underlying conditions of, or contraindications to, the treatment recommended or

provided; or

provided.

b. Personally knows the patient and the patient’s general health status through an existing patient-practitioner

relationship; or

relationship.

c. Provides treatment in consultation with or upon referral of another practitioner who has an existing patient-practitioner relationship with the patient and who has agreed to supervise the patient’s treatment, including follow-up care and use of the prescribed

medications; or

medications.

d. Provides treatment to the patient through an on-call or cross-coverage situation for another practitioner who has an existing patient-practitioner relationship with the

patient; or

patient.

e. Provides continuing medications on a short-term basis for a new patient prior to the first

appointment; or

appointment.

f. Provides treatment based upon admission orders for a newly hospitalized patient.

g. Provides treatment for opioid use disorder under a properly established provider-patient relationship as provided by § 6003 of Title 24 for Schedule III through V medications approved by the Federal Drug Administration for such treatment.

SYNOPSIS

This Act expands the definition of “patient-practitioner relationship” to include practitioners and patients, that provide and seek treatment for, opioid use disorder as defined in § 6003 of Title 24.

This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Author: Senator Poore