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SS/SCS/SBs 63 & 111 - This act establishes the Prescription Drug Monitoring Act. The Department of Health and Senior Services is required to establish and maintain a program to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of all Schedule II through Schedule IV controlled substances by all licensed professionals who prescribe or dispense these substances in Missouri using an existing data aggregation platform through the State Data Center within the Office of Administration. The provisions of this act shall be subject to appropriations and also may be funded with federal or private moneys. The Department shall ensure the privacy and security of the personal information while only aggregating necessary and appropriate information related to the prescribing or dispensing of the prescription. The aggregated information from each dispenser data source shall remain segregated from any other data source. All submitted prescription information shall be kept confidential with specified exceptions. A dispenser shall, and a prescriber may, electronically submit to the Department specified information for each prescription. All prescribers who hold themselves out to the public as specializing in pain management and are prescribing a Schedule II controlled substance shall use the prescription drug monitoring database. The Department may issue a waiver to a dispenser who is unable to submit the required information electronically. If a waiver is obtained, a dispenser can submit the required information in paper format or by other approved means. The Department shall reimburse each dispenser for the fees of transmitting the information required by this act. This act delineates the duties of both the prescriber, dispenser and the Department for communicating in real-time when there is a prescription for a Schedule II through Schedule IV controlled substance. If the Department responds with a message that there was a concern detected and describes the nature of that concern, the prescriber or dispenser shall prescribe or dispense or not prescribe or dispense the medication according to his or her professional judgment appropriate to the concern communicated. If the response is not timely, the prescriber or dispenser shall prescribe or dispense or not prescribe or dispense the medication according to his or her professional judgment. The Department shall review the dispensation information and, if there is reasonable cause to believe a violation of law or breach of professional standards may have occurred, the Department shall notify the appropriate law enforcement or professional regulatory entity and provide dispensation information required for an investigation. If, after staff review, it appears that there is reasonable cause to believe that a person has obtained a prescription fraudulently from more than one prescriber, the Department shall contact the prescribers, inform them of the potential problem and provide details, and request copies of medical records concerning the prescriptions of concern. The prescribers shall provide the records, if possible, by fax or electronically. If, after Department review of the provided records, it is clear that a person has obtained prescriptions under false pretenses, the entire matter shall be referred to the appropriate law enforcement or local prosecuting attorney for action. Any prescriber or dispenser who knowingly fails to submit the required information or who knowingly submits incorrect information shall be subject to penalties and shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Any person who unlawfully and knowingly accesses or discloses dispensation monitoring information or any persons authorized to have dispensation information who knowingly disclose such information or who use it in a manner and for a purpose in violation of the act shall be guilty of a Class D felony until December 31, 2016, and a Class E felony beginning January 1, 2017. Additionally, this act provides a private cause of action for persons whose data has been disclosed to an unauthorized person. Recovery under this cause of action for negligent disclosure shall include liquidated damages of $25,000 and compensatory economic and non-economic damages, attorney fees, and court costs. Punitive damages are available for intentional and malicious unauthorized disclosure. The Department shall annually provide to the General Assembly a report as to the number of controlled substances dispensed, broken down by drug, the number of incidents of fraudulent prescriptions identified and any other pertinent information requested by the General Assembly. The Department shall create and implement an educational course regarding the provisions of this act and, when appropriate, shall work with associations for impaired professionals to ensure the intervention, treatment, and ongoing monitoring of patients who have been identified as being addicted to substances monitored by the act. This act is substantially similar to HB 130 (2015), SB 921 (2014), and SB 146 (2013). SARAH HASKINS
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