PDMP Sees a Path Forward, Passes Senate

After years of trying to implement a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), the Senate took a major step forward and passed the bill by a vote of 21-10. Earlier in the week, HB 1693, sponsored by Rep. Holly Rehder (R-Sikeston), was first brought up in the Senate and was met by stiff resistance from members of the conservative caucus over privacy concerns. Then, just before midnight, Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (R-Parkville), handler of the bill in the Senate, introduced a Senate substitute that presented a way forward.  

Instead of the Dept. of Health and Senior Services overseeing a PDMP, it would be handled by a "Joint Oversight Task Force". That task force would be made up of physicians, pharmacists, and other health providers, and would provide a private-sector approach to oversight. The new substitute also included a provision whereby names of patients would be purged after three years, as well as a requirement that the information gathered from a PDMP could only be utilized for patient health care services.

Missouri is the only state that doesn't have a PDMP, although it currently has a St. Louis County PDMP that covers about 80% of the state. The bill now needs final approval from the House.