HR 4837119th CongressIn Committee

Written Informed Consent Act

Introduced: Aug 1, 2025

Sponsor: Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12] (R-Florida)

Healthcare

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Written Informed Consent Act would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to broaden a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) directive that currently governs informed consent for long-term opioid therapy. Specifically, the bill directs updating VHA Directive 1005 (Informed Consent For Long-term Opioid Therapy For Pain) to apply to five additional categories of medications used by veterans: antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and narcotics. In short, if enacted, VA prescribers would need to obtain and document informed consent for these medication types as part of the VA’s established consent processes. The bill is sponsored in the House by Rep. Bilirakis with Reps. Bergman and Self as cosponsors. It is an introduction in the 119th Congress and would take effect only if enacted into law and the VA updated its directive accordingly.

Key Points

1Expands the scope of VHA Directive 1005 (Informed Consent For Long-term Opioid Therapy For Pain) to include five additional drug classes: antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and narcotics.
2Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to update the directive to cover these medication types.
3This is a standard formal process step to ensure informed consent requirements for these medicines within VA health care, aligning with the existing framework used for long-term opioid therapy.
4The act is named the Written Informed Consent Act.
5Introduced in the House by Rep. Bilirakis, with Reps. Bergman and Self listed as co-sponsors.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Veterans receiving medications in VA health care who are prescribed antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, anxiolytics, or narcotics, and VA clinicians who prescribe these meds.Secondary group/area affected: VA health care administrators and medical record/clinical workflow systems that handle informed-consent documentation and EHR prompts.Additional impacts:- Increased emphasis on patient understanding and documented consent for a broader range of medications.- Potential increase in administrative time and training needs for VA providers to implement the expanded consent process.- Possible effects on prescribing practices and patient engagement initiatives within the VA, with potential implications for safety and monitoring.The bill references updating a specific directive (VHA Directive 1005) but does not provide the full text of the updated requirements. In practice, the expansion would likely mean new or revised consent discussions, documentation requirements, and potential monitoring or follow-up procedures for these drug classes within VA care. The exact details would be defined by the updated directive once issued.

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