Almost daily, we see media stories about the devastating effects of prescription drug abuse and how rampant this problem is in Pennsylvania. Physicians in many specialties experience this problem first-hand, faced with determining whether a patient who is sitting in their exam rooms could be abusing prescription drugs or doctor shopping.
Yet, Pennsylvania’s primary statewide tool for collecting data about prescription drugs is very limited and outdated.
For more than three years, the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) has worked in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Pain Coalition and many medical specialties and other groups to help update the state’s database. After study, it’s clear that an effective database can help lower non-medical use of controlled substances and at the same time improve access to pain management care.
House Bill 1651, to launch a more effective and efficient prescription drug database, was voted out of the House Human Services Committee on Dec. 6, 2011, by a vote of 19-1, and is awaiting consideration by the full House. Contact your legislators and urge them to support this bill.
PAMED has worked closely with bill sponsors and other stakeholders to refine the bill.
HB 1651 would create a pharmaceutical accountability monitoring system (PAMS) that requires timely reporting of all Schedule II-V medications dispensed within the state and allows physicians electronic access to obtain data about their patients.
PAMED, in order to protect physicians and maximize their use of PAMS, achieved refinements to the bill so that:
- Reporting will be limited to dispensers
- Practitioners in facilities that dispense drug quantities for a maximum of 24 hours will be exempted from reporting
- The advisory committee to the Department of Drug and Alcohol created by the bill will include two physicians nominated by PAMED
- Physicians who do not access the database will be provided civil and licensing board immunity
- Dispensers without Internet access will be permitted to submit data manually to the database
PAMED will continue to collaborate with medical specialties, the PPC, and other stakeholders, as well as work closely with key legislative staff on the basic attributes of an improved CSDB.