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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | July 11, 2017 01:02 PM |
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| From: | Representative Eli Evankovich |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Strengthening the PDMP to Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation that will help prevent prescription drug abuse and protect the health and safety of our community by ensuring health care providers have the information they need to safely prescribe controlled substances and help patients get the treatment they need. Act 191 of 2014, otherwise known as the Achieving Better Care by Monitoring all Prescriptions Program (ABC-MAP) Act, requires the monitoring of Schedule II through Schedule V controlled substances. The PA Department of Health is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), and the ABC-MAP Board has the authority to develop policies and procedures as it relates to the development and operation of the PDMP. My legislation will amend Act 191 to further direct the Board to integrate the PDMP with electronic health information systems. Further, my legislation will direct the Board to develop an automated process to monitor information entered by prescribers and dispensers to detect potential abuse and to establish internal and real-time audits of patient data. These additional duties of the Board are to be carried out when the Board is in the process of making routine technological updates to the PDMP system. These changes will not alter the current right-to-know protections nor will it require providers or dispensers to take any action. Rather, it will make streamlining the current process an option. Integrating the PDMP system with health information systems will create streamlined access for providers as they will be able to use PDMP data when making treatment decisions. Further, developing a process for the system to automatically audit patient data and to alert prescribers and dispensers when there is a pattern of irregular patient data could proactively identify abuse. These changes will not alter the current right-to-know protections nor will it require providers or dispensers to take any action. Rather, it will make streamlining the current process an option by integrating the PDMP system with health information systems, allowing providers to use PDMP data when making treatment decisions. Further, developing a process for the system to automatically audit patient data and to alert prescribers and dispensers when there is a pattern of irregular patient data could proactively identify abuse. These upgrades are to be done as other system upgrades and changes are made to avoid added costs. Please join me in cosponsoring this important legislation. |
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| View Attachment | ||
Introduced as HB1679