A Pennsylvania law that went into effect Feb. 3 allows providers to write prescriptions in sexually transmitted disease cases for their patients' sex partners.
In November, the state legislature passed the Expedited Partner Therapy Act, which authorizes physicians to pen prescriptions for or "personally furnish" antibiotics for sexually transmitted infections "without having examined the individual for whom the drug is intended." The legislation is intended to increase access to these antibiotics if a patient's sexual partner is unlikely to seek treatment.
For cases in which a patient diagnosed with an STD does not or cannot offer a sexual partner's name, the act also tells providers to write the prescriptions with the label "expedited partner therapy" or the letters "EPT." Physicians who partake in this allowance must tell the patient to recommend a healthcare visit for their partner and document the drug's name and dosage in the patient's record.
The state law says that a provider who in good faith prescribes or furnishes antibiotics through this act is not liable for civil or criminal cases, and they cannot be subject to professional disciplinary action, either.