Opinion

New approach on opioid abuse issue

Friday, July 21, 2017

Missouri’s 126th District

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Calling it a big step toward addressing the opioid crisis in Missouri, Gov. Greitens recently issued an executive order to create a prescription drug monitoring program in Missouri. While the system put in place by the governor is different from the plan proposed by the legislature, it has the same intent of preventing the over-prescribing and misuse of opioids such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Percocet.

The governor’s plan calls for the Department of Health and Senior Services to create a database that will specifically target “pill mills” that pump out prescription drugs at “dangerous and unlawful levels.” The department will work with private sector partners to obtain de-identified data that can be used to target abusers. The system is also meant to enable the department to better inform doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other healthcare providers, and patients and their families about best practices in pain management to decrease the excessive use of opioids.

The governor’s plan is significantly different from the one that moved through the legislature during the 2017 session, and programs in every other state in the nation. The plan adopted this year by the House would have tracked when patients are prescribed opioids and allowed doctors to have access to data so they could look for signs of abuse. The governor’s plan does not put information in the hands of physicians, but instead focuses the data collection effort on those who prescribe and distribute addictive prescription medications.

The differences in the programs prompted the House sponsor of the PDMP legislation to say, “It’s of the utmost importance, in order to treat addiction — which is at the core of this epidemic — for our medical professionals to be able to see this data. We need to be able to catch addiction on the front end and that’s what the traditional PDMP does.” She thinks the traditional PDMP could work well with the governor’s plan to help catch abusers.

Right now more than 26 counties and jurisdictions around the state have a more traditional PDMP system in place. The sponsor of the PDMP legislation says approximately 60 percent of Missourians are already living in an area with a monitoring program. She said she will also look at filing her PDMP bill again next session to supplement the governor’s plan and strengthen efforts to fight the opioid crisis.

The governor’s program will now be put in place by the Department of Health and Senior Services at a startup cost of approximately $250,000. The department will enter into a contract with Express Scripts to establish the program, and will need to add staff to administer it. The money for the program will come from the Department of Social Services under Medicaid.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your State Representative. Please contact me at patricia.pike@house.mo.gov or 573-751-5388 with any questions or concerns regarding state issues. My office is open year- round Monday – Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Room 400 CB at the Missouri Capitol.