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Battle over prescription drug monitoring renewed for 2016 Missouri legislative session

Updated 5:17 p.m., Dec. 18 -- Dueling versions of legislation would each create a prescription drug monitoring program in Missouri, the only state that doesn't have one.

Rep. HollyRehder, R-Sikeston, announced Thursday that she would again be sponsoring the House version of the bill, which was pre-filed Friday.  It would give doctors and pharmacists easy access to recent drug purchases by patients as a way to combat doctor shopping.

"After Florida's inception of a prescription monitoring program, they saw a 24 percent decline in prescriptions forOxycodoneand an 8 percent decline for Methadone," Rehder said.  "Those are two drugs that are (the) most implicated in prescription drug overdoses and death."

Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, talks about her pre-filed bill during a press conference Thursday at the Missouri Capitol.
Credit Marshall Griffin | St. Louis Public Radio
Rep. Holly Rehder, R-Sikeston, talks about her pre-filed bill during a press conference Thursday at the Missouri Capitol.

On the other end of the spectrum is Sen. RobSchaaf, R-St. Joseph, who has long opposed efforts to create a prescription monitoring program. He saysRehder'sbill would allow too much access to patient records and violate their privacy.

"That version of the bill puts every person's prescription drug data on a government database accessible by 30,000 people who would have a password," Schaaf said.  "That's outrageous."

He's sponsoring an alternate proposal that would create a drug monitoring program but limit access to the state narcotics bureau.

"Health care professionals could log on, and if this person had seen multiple physicians or had already received the medication that the doctor was dispensing, a flag would come up," Schaaf said.  "That way, they could get the knowledge that this person might be doctor shopping, but the (person's medical) information itself would be protected."

Rehder told reporters Thursday that she views her proposal as an extension of electronic medical records.

"It (would be) covered under HIPAA laws," she said. "To me, it's not a privacy issue, it's just giving a doctor, a physician, and a pharmacist a little bit more of a look on how to better take care of their patient."

Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph
Credit Jason Rosenbaum I St. Louis Public Radio
Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph

Another big difference between the two proposals:  Schaaf'swould put the issue before Missouri voters before it would become law.  And he seems to indicate that particular provision may be part of an overall strategy to defeat the effort to create a prescription drug monitoring program.

"I'd put it to a vote of the people, which I think people don't want to have their information on a drug database," Schaaf said, "especially given all of the databases that have been hacked recently."

Rehder said requiring a statewide vote would cause a significant delay in implementing a drug monitoring program, "time that we cannot spare, in my opinion."

The 2016 legislative session begins at noon Jan. 6.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.