Senator Hassan Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Require Use of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced that she is cosponsoring the Prescription Drug Monitoring Act of 2017, a bipartisan bill that would require all states that receive certain federal funding to use prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and make their PDMP data available to other states.

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Act of 2017 was introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rob Portman (R-OH), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Angus King (I-ME).

“We know the heroin, fentanyl, and opioid crisis that is devastating our communities and taking a major toll on our economy in New Hampshire stems in large part from the overuse and misuse of prescription opioids,” Senator Hassan said. “By requiring the use of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and requiring states to share PDMP data across state lines, this bipartisan bill will help identify doctor shopping and other potential signs of abuse. I will continue working across the aisle to help stem – and ultimately reverse – the deadly tide of this crisis and save lives in New Hampshire and across the nation.”

Under then-Governor Hassan’s leadership, New Hampshire launched its Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Also as Governor of New Hampshire, Senator Hassan fought to strengthen the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, including requiring greater use of the state's PDMP, upgrading the program’s technology to ensure that more prescribers could use the program in a timely fashion, and taking steps to facilitate data sharing with neighboring states.

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Act would:

• Require drug dispensers in covered states to report to the PDMP each opioid prescription that they dispense to patients within 24 hours.

• Require practitioners in covered states to consult the PDMP before prescribing opioids to patients.

• Require states to actively notify practitioners when the PDMP shows that a patient exhibits patterns indicative of opioid misuse.

To ensure that PDMP data is available across state lines, the bill would also provide for the creation of an inter-state PDMP data-sharing platform and require all covered states to make their individual PDMP data available on this platform.

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