Health News
Gov. Steve Beshear gave credit this week to House Bill 1 for reducing the number of prescriptions written for frequently abused controlled substances and for closing the doors on 10 of the state's worst pain-management clinics. He also said the bill had promoted investigations into what he called "suspicious prescribing practices." Beshear, in a prepared statement, said: "We knew that this bill would have an immediate impact on thwarting the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs in our state, and the statistics over the last few months are already showing progress."
The governor also noted that Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) accounts have increased from 7,911 in April to 21,542 in October. Account users are physicians, dentists, optometrists, advances practice nurses and podiatrists who then use those accounts to check on the drug records of patients daily. Beshear, responding to frequent criticism that the reporting of KASPER results is time-consuming, remarked that "the vast majority of those requests are processed in less than 15 seconds."
John Cheves of the Lexington Herald-Leader also reported that state regulators said this week that "they're working with private insurance companies and Medicaid managers to make sure health insurance plans help cover the cost of urine tests required under HB 1." Cheves had written earlier about consumer complaints that the costs of those tests, now required by the bill, were being borne by the patient. The
Kentucky Department of Insurance is communicating with insurers to guarantee that urine tests under HB 1 are classified as a medically necessary expense, Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark told Cheves. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services is doing the same for Medicaid clients.
(Read more)
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- Legislature Likely To Tweak, Clarify And Limit Last Year's 'pill Mill Bill'
State lawmakers could narrow the focus of last year's "pill mill bill" during the legislative session that begins tomorrow, to concentrate on adults with long-term prescriptions for frequently abused painkillers, John Cheves of the Lexington Herald-Leader...
- State Officials Appear To Be Overstating Successes Of New Prescription-drug Law, The Courier-journal Reports
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- Beshear Oks Prescription Bill, Telling Pill Mills, 'get Out Of This State'
Saying it couldn't get to his desk quickly enough, Gov. Steve Beshear signed a bill aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse in celebration today, warning so-called pill mills to "Get out of this state, because we're coming after you." House Bill...
- In Bipartisan Way, Political Leaders Push Passage Of 'pill Mill' Bill
A bipartisan group of political leaders issued a call today "to pass a bill that will help the state battle one of its most significant threats ? prescription drug abuse," a press release from Gov. Steve Beshear's office said. Beshear, Attorney General...
Health News
Governor lauds HB 1 for closing 10 of the state's worst pain clinics, reducing the number of controlled-substance prescriptions
Gov. Steve Beshear gave credit this week to House Bill 1 for reducing the number of prescriptions written for frequently abused controlled substances and for closing the doors on 10 of the state's worst pain-management clinics. He also said the bill had promoted investigations into what he called "suspicious prescribing practices." Beshear, in a prepared statement, said: "We knew that this bill would have an immediate impact on thwarting the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs in our state, and the statistics over the last few months are already showing progress."
The governor also noted that Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) accounts have increased from 7,911 in April to 21,542 in October. Account users are physicians, dentists, optometrists, advances practice nurses and podiatrists who then use those accounts to check on the drug records of patients daily. Beshear, responding to frequent criticism that the reporting of KASPER results is time-consuming, remarked that "the vast majority of those requests are processed in less than 15 seconds."
John Cheves of the Lexington Herald-Leader also reported that state regulators said this week that "they're working with private insurance companies and Medicaid managers to make sure health insurance plans help cover the cost of urine tests required under HB 1." Cheves had written earlier about consumer complaints that the costs of those tests, now required by the bill, were being borne by the patient. The
Kentucky Department of Insurance is communicating with insurers to guarantee that urine tests under HB 1 are classified as a medically necessary expense, Insurance Commissioner Sharon Clark told Cheves. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services is doing the same for Medicaid clients.
(Read more)
- At National Prescription Drug Abuse Summit, Beshear Cites Kentucky's Successes
Gov. Steve Beshear told attendees at the 2014 National Prescription Drug Abuse Summit in Atlanta on Wednesday about the progress Kentucky has made in the last two years in its battle to combat abuse of prescription drugs. "Prescription drug abuse was...
- Legislature Likely To Tweak, Clarify And Limit Last Year's 'pill Mill Bill'
State lawmakers could narrow the focus of last year's "pill mill bill" during the legislative session that begins tomorrow, to concentrate on adults with long-term prescriptions for frequently abused painkillers, John Cheves of the Lexington Herald-Leader...
- State Officials Appear To Be Overstating Successes Of New Prescription-drug Law, The Courier-journal Reports
There's new criticism from Kentucky's doctors in an analysis of the state's four-month old prescription drug law, showing that a lot of what state officials have touted as the law's successes were already in the works before the law went...
- Beshear Oks Prescription Bill, Telling Pill Mills, 'get Out Of This State'
Saying it couldn't get to his desk quickly enough, Gov. Steve Beshear signed a bill aimed at curbing prescription drug abuse in celebration today, warning so-called pill mills to "Get out of this state, because we're coming after you." House Bill...
- In Bipartisan Way, Political Leaders Push Passage Of 'pill Mill' Bill
A bipartisan group of political leaders issued a call today "to pass a bill that will help the state battle one of its most significant threats ? prescription drug abuse," a press release from Gov. Steve Beshear's office said. Beshear, Attorney General...