Authorization for partner STD treatment fails

A bill that would have allowed expedited partner therapy (EPT) for treatment of certain sexually transmitted diseases failed to advance from general file Jan. 25.

Under LB304, introduced by Lincoln Sen. Amanda McGill, a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse who diagnosed certain STDs in a patient would have been allowed to prescribe or dispense oral antibiotics to that patient’s sexual partner or partners without an examination.

Current law is ambiguous as to whether EPT is allowed in Nebraska, McGill said, so the bill is intended to make the practice expressly permissible.

EPT protocol has been shown to reduce reinfection rates and increase the likelihood of partner notification, she said. Very few adverse reactions to the oral antibiotics used to treat STDs have been reported, she said, and all were minor.

“There are still no major issues or health concerns that have been reported,” McGill said, “even with 30 states now making this permissible.”

Senators voted 25-0 to approve a McGill amendment to limit the bill’s provisions to treatment of Chlamydia and gonorrhea.

Sen. Brenda Council of Omaha supported the bill, saying Douglas County needs more resources to combat Chlamydia and gonorrhea rates that are among the highest in the nation.

“The boards of health have identified it as epidemic proportions,” Council said, adding that “extraordinary measures” are required to combat such high rates of infection.

Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop opposed LB304, citing the bill’s immunity clause for medical providers.

Under the bill, a provider who acts in good faith and with or without compensation, or who chooses not to prescribe, provide or dispense such prescription oral antibiotic drugs, would have been immune from civil liability except in the case of willful or wanton misconduct.

Lathrop said normal medical practice requires that a provider discuss potential drug interactions when prescribing or providing antibiotics.

“There are medical issues involving antibiotics,” he said. “The fact that there is risk means that we ought to stick to the traditional form of providing medication.”

LB304 failed to advance to select file on a 21-24 vote.