Health News
Legislators have sent Gov. Steve Beshear a bill to curb prescription drug abuse and crack down on rogue pain clinics, ending the special session of the General Assembly.
The final version left the state's prescription drug-monitoring system under the control of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the doctor-controlled Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure rather than move it to the attorney general's office, as the last version in the regular session would have. But in another significant change, it will require doctors and pharmacists who prescribe or dispense Schedule II and III drugs, such as oxycodone and morphine, to use the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system. Only about 25 percent of Kentucky physicians now use KASPER.
Putting the drug-monitoring system in the hands of the attorney general was considered a linchpin of efforts to help law enforcement to proactively identify suspicious prescribers; law enforcement officers can access the database only if they have a case opened, and say they need the data to open cases. But the Kentucky Medical Association called giving law enforcement oversight of information with prescription-drug information a violation of personal privacy. "You are essentially legislating medical care," said Shawn Jones, president of the KMA.
Beshear, who repeatedly pressured legislators to pass a bill pertaining to the issue, issued a statement this evening expressing his delight. "Even though the prescription drug bill doesn't include every element we had hoped, it is an enormous bipartisan accomplishment, and it restores Kentucky as a leading state in innovative tactics in battling prescription drug abuse," he said. "The elements of the bill also help prevent Kentucky from becoming a source state for prescription pills.
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who sponsored the bill, called its passage "a step forward" though he "would have preferred a stronger version." He told reporters that he did not feel this would be the last time lawmakers would be changing laws to fight the problem, and noted that Beshear could use his gubernatorial reorganization powers to change the administration of the system: "I think the governor, in the days ahead, will continue to take aggressive action on addressing this problem."
The measure will require pharmacists to submit information to KASPER within 24 hours of dispensing a narcotic and doctors must check the system before prescribing one to a new patient. They then would be required to check a KASPER report every three months during a patient's treatment.
As before, the measure will require most pain clinics be owned by at least one doctor; 33 of Kentucky's 77 pain clinics are owned by people with no medical background. Those who already own clinics and haven't had run-ins with the law will be "grandfathered" and be allowed to continue operating. "That really waters it down. A lot!!" Operation UNITE Director Karen Kelly said on Facebook.
Lawmakers also passed the transportation budget bill, which was the main reason why they were called in for a special session by Beshear. They reached an impasse last week when the Senate would not approve the budget, a move Beshear and Senate President David Williams blamed on each other.
There were suggestions that the road and drug issues, the only items that the legislature could consider under Beshear's call of the session, were related. "As the Senate receded on the amendment to put back $50 million of [road] money into Senate President David Williams' district, word went out that the House would compromise on the pill bill and let the Senate keep KASPER [where it is] as long as a funding change took place," Ryan Alessi reports for cn|2. "The Senate sprang into action amended the pill bill and leaders from the two chambers worked together to pass legislation before supper time."
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Health News
Pill-mill bill passes; attorney general won't get drug-monitoring system but narcotic-prescribing doctors will have to use it
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| House Speaker Greg Stumbo, center, walks with House budget committee chair Rick Rand and House Majority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins. (Courier-Journal photo). |
The final version left the state's prescription drug-monitoring system under the control of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the doctor-controlled Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure rather than move it to the attorney general's office, as the last version in the regular session would have. But in another significant change, it will require doctors and pharmacists who prescribe or dispense Schedule II and III drugs, such as oxycodone and morphine, to use the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system. Only about 25 percent of Kentucky physicians now use KASPER.
Putting the drug-monitoring system in the hands of the attorney general was considered a linchpin of efforts to help law enforcement to proactively identify suspicious prescribers; law enforcement officers can access the database only if they have a case opened, and say they need the data to open cases. But the Kentucky Medical Association called giving law enforcement oversight of information with prescription-drug information a violation of personal privacy. "You are essentially legislating medical care," said Shawn Jones, president of the KMA.
Beshear, who repeatedly pressured legislators to pass a bill pertaining to the issue, issued a statement this evening expressing his delight. "Even though the prescription drug bill doesn't include every element we had hoped, it is an enormous bipartisan accomplishment, and it restores Kentucky as a leading state in innovative tactics in battling prescription drug abuse," he said. "The elements of the bill also help prevent Kentucky from becoming a source state for prescription pills.
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who sponsored the bill, called its passage "a step forward" though he "would have preferred a stronger version." He told reporters that he did not feel this would be the last time lawmakers would be changing laws to fight the problem, and noted that Beshear could use his gubernatorial reorganization powers to change the administration of the system: "I think the governor, in the days ahead, will continue to take aggressive action on addressing this problem."
The measure will require pharmacists to submit information to KASPER within 24 hours of dispensing a narcotic and doctors must check the system before prescribing one to a new patient. They then would be required to check a KASPER report every three months during a patient's treatment.
As before, the measure will require most pain clinics be owned by at least one doctor; 33 of Kentucky's 77 pain clinics are owned by people with no medical background. Those who already own clinics and haven't had run-ins with the law will be "grandfathered" and be allowed to continue operating. "That really waters it down. A lot!!" Operation UNITE Director Karen Kelly said on Facebook.
Lawmakers also passed the transportation budget bill, which was the main reason why they were called in for a special session by Beshear. They reached an impasse last week when the Senate would not approve the budget, a move Beshear and Senate President David Williams blamed on each other.
There were suggestions that the road and drug issues, the only items that the legislature could consider under Beshear's call of the session, were related. "As the Senate receded on the amendment to put back $50 million of [road] money into Senate President David Williams' district, word went out that the House would compromise on the pill bill and let the Senate keep KASPER [where it is] as long as a funding change took place," Ryan Alessi reports for cn|2. "The Senate sprang into action amended the pill bill and leaders from the two chambers worked together to pass legislation before supper time."
- Pill-mill Bill Does Not Pass As Legislative Session Ends In Failure; Special Session Starts Monday
Though it's considered by experts as the most important bill needed this year, the Senate failed to pass a measure that would crack down on so-called pill mills before the end of the legislative session last night. Gov. Steve Beshear, above, called...
- 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...
- Senate Panel Oks Pill-mill Bill With Provision Moving Prescription-monitoring System To Attorney General's Office
Over the objections of the Kentucky Medical Association, a Senate committee today approved a bill that would "transfer oversight of the state?s prescription-monitoring system from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to the attorney general?s office,"...
- Senate Panel And House Ok Bills To Tackle Prescription-bill Abuse
Two bills aimed at attacking the state's prescription drug abuse problem made headway yesterday, with a major difference between the House and Senate measures, reflecting possible turf battles between state agencies and doctors' desire to maintain...
- Lawmakers Hear Testimony About State's Pill Mill Problem, Discuss Whether To Put All Prescription-drug Issues Into One Bill
With a raid on a pain clinic in Paintsville making headlines yesterday morning, state legislators heard from community leaders and officials telling them to pass legislation to curb the proliferation of pill mills. Lois Windhorst, best known as a leader...