Legislation has been introduced in the Senate that would require healthcare providers to use electronic prescribing for opioids and other controlled substances for Medicare Part D transactions beginning in 2020.
The Every Prescription Conveyed Securely (EPCS) Act, S.2460, co-sponsored by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), is the latest legislative effort to combat opioid overdoses.
“An epidemic of this magnitude requires us to address all aspects of the problem, starting with how providers prescribe opioids,” said Bennet in a written statement. “This bipartisan legislation would expand a critical tool to track the use of opioids, ultimately reducing overdoses and saving lives.”
