Approximately two million Americans are addicted to prescription painkillers, and in 2014, there were more than 600 opioid overdose-related deaths in Washington State. Our state’s Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) has proven effective in improving patient care and curtailing prescription drug misuse by giving providers accurate and timely information on a patient’s prescriptive history. HB 1426 and SB 5248 would expand access to PMP data, letting facilities and providers examine larger prescription trends in an effort to improve prescribing patterns and decrease unnecessary opiate prescriptions. It would also create a system to notify providers when their patient has an overdose event. (Ian Corbridge)
House Health Care & Wellness: Wednesday, February 1, 1:30 p.m. (HB 1426)
Senate Health Care: Thursday, February 2, 10:00 a.m. (SB 5248)
