ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vetoed a bill he says would roll back efforts to fight prescription opioid abuse with a “loophole” in the state law requiring electronic prescriptions.
It would have exempted doctors at nursing homes and other institutions, noting they often issue prescriptions orally and some lack the computer technology.
Instead, Cuomo says he’s extending their current waiver under the law through Oct. 31, 2017.
He has vetoed another bill to require the health department to develop a central database to warehouse all electronic prescriptions, intended to give consumers flexibility in choosing pharmacies.
Cuomo says it costs too much and has security risks.
He has signed an amendment to let doctors log limited legal paper prescriptions in a patient’s chart rather than reporting them directly to the health department.
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