Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill, cosponsored by myself, Representative Griffith, Representative Fitzpatrick, and Representative Blackburn, requires Medicaid providers to check the prescription drug history of a beneficiary through a qualified prescription drug monitoring program, or PDMP, before prescribing a schedule II controlled substance. This is a crucial step in helping us get a grip on the crisis we are facing. Currently, 49 States have a PDMP program, and the final State, Missouri, has begun creating a PDMP program. However, only 13 States require the prescribers check the patient's prescribing history prior to prescribing controlled substances, despite the fact that studies show that mandatory PDMP access laws are effective in reducing prescription drug abuse and, in particular, opioid abuse. For example, evidence from New York suggests that PDMPs are associated with a 75 percent decrease in the number of beneficiaries who got a prescription drug from more than one prescriber and dispenser. Implementation of Florida's PDMP was associated with a 25 percent decrease in mortality related to oxycodone. Both the current and past administrations have noted that PDMPs should be leveraged in the opioid crisis and are most effective when they are used by all clinicians.…”