Expedited Partner Therapy

Expedited partner therapy (EPT) is the clinical practice of treating the partners of patients diagnosed with certain sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as a means of preventing further spread and reinfection.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), partner management was initially developed to control syphilis and later became recommended for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The CDC began recommending EPT for treatment of patients and partners with chlamydia and gonorrhea in 2006. EPT is also used in some states to treat trichomoniasis.

State Policies

According to the CDC, as of July 2024, EPT is permissible in 47 states and the District of Columbia. In 2024, Oklahoma passed S 1491 to allow for EPT, which became effective in November 2024. The practice is not explicitly banned in any state, but current laws in Kansas and South Dakota do not allow EPT.

State laws vary as to which STDs may be treated with EPT:

• At least 12 states allow for the treatment of all or most STDs with EPT;
• At least 25 states allow for EPT to treat chlamydia and gonorrhea;
• Massachusetts allows for EPT to treat chlamydia only;
• Alabama allows for EPT to treat gonorrhea and trichomonaisis; and
• Seven states and the District of Columbia allow for EPT to treat chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomonaisis.

Additionally, 15 states and the District of Columbia either require or encourage information to be provided for the patient’s partner regarding STDs.

Kansas

In Kansas, there is no statutory requirement that patients be examined by a physician prior to being given a prescription at a nonprofit clinic. However, according to an 1982 Attorney General opinion, the need for a physical examination depends on the facts and standards of competent medical practice (XVI Kan. Op. Att’y Gen. 60, No. 82-162 (1982)).

Additionally, Kansas rules and regulations state that a dispensing physician must clearly label each drug dispensed and must include the full name of the patient receiving the prescription (KAR 100-21-2). In Kansas statute, “dispense” means “to deliver prescription medication to the ultimate user . . . by or pursuant to the lawful order of a practitioner” (KSA 65-1626). This effectively prevents EPT from being a permissible practice in Kansas.

Recent Bills

In 2021, HB 2259 was introduced to allow for the use of EPT to treat STDs. The bill would have also required a list of information be provided to the patient and the patient’s partner, including information about the prescribed pharmaceutical and about the treatment and prevention of STDs. The bill was amended and recommended for passage by the House Committee on Health and Human Services and passed the House on a vote of 75-49. The bill received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare but died in committee.

In 2024, companion EPT bills with the same content as 2021 HB 2259, as amended by the House Committee, were introduced: HB 2750 and SB 404. SB 404 received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare but died in committee. HB 2750 was amended by the House Committee on Health and Human Services to clarify the specific STDs authorized for EPT, require health care providers to document the name and date of birth of sexual partners when available, and remove the ability of a child 16 years of age or older to consent to EPT when a parent or guardian is not immediately available. The bill was stricken from the House Calendar by Rule 1507 (not referred to committee before bill deadline).