SPRINGFIELD – To ensure patient’s medical information is kept private, State Senator Adriane Johnson’s new law will remove hormonal medications such as testosterone and estrogen from the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program.
“No one should fear being monitored or tracked for receiving hormone replacement therapy prescribed by their healthcare provider,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “Respecting medical privacy allows patients to access care with confidence and peace of mind.”
Intended to prevent patients from going from one doctor to another to get multiple prescriptions for powerful and addictive pain medications, the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program collects controlled substance prescription records from pharmacies. The data is provided to authorized individuals for the purpose of clinical care, regulation of professional practice, research and evaluation and law enforcement.
Testosterone was made a controlled substance in the 1990s to regulate the distribution of the hormone to prevent its misuse by athletes. Johnson’s measure will purge the program of existing information concerning the prescribing or dispensing of testosterone on or before Jan. 1, 2027 and will ensure no further records would be created or maintained. Additionally, mifepristone, misoprostol, GnRH analogues and estrogen will be added to a list of prescriptions that are exempt from disclosure.
“Protecting private medical information is essential to ensuring patients feel safe seeking care, asking questions and making personal health care decisions,” Johnson said. “Strong privacy protections preserve trust, dignity and the fundamental right to confidentiality.”
House Bill 4834 was signed into law Sunday.
