Leaders of the Senate health committee on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation designed to help combat the nationwide opioid epidemic through the increased collection, analysis and sharing of data to track controlled substance prescribing and the effects of drug abuse.
The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (S. 2680), which includes 40 wide-ranging proposals, puts a premium on leveraging information technology such as electronic health records, telemedicine and Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)—databases states use to track controlled substance prescriptions by flagging suspicious patient prescribing activities.
