HB 1956 -- Prescription Monitoring Act

Sponsor:  Page

This bill establishes the Prescription Monitoring Act in the
Department of Health and Senior Services.  In its main
provisions, the bill:

(1)  Requires the department to develop a program, subject to
appropriation, to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of all
Schedule II through Schedule V controlled substances by all
licensed professionals who prescribe or dispense these substances
in Missouri;

(2)  Requires the dispenser to electronically submit to the
department information for each prescription and specifies the
frequency of the submissions;

(3)  Allows the department to issue a waiver to a dispenser who
is unable to submit the required information electronically.  If
a waiver is obtained, a dispenser can submit the required
information in paper format or by other approved means;

(4)  Requires all submitted prescription information to be
confidential.  Exceptions to this requirement include violations
of law or breaches of professional standards which result in an
investigation and the submission or the release of prescription
information to authorized persons;

(5)  Authorizes the release of non-personal, general information
for statistical, educational, and research purposes;

(6)  Authorizes the department to contract with other state
agencies or private vendors to implement the bill;

(7)  Requires the department to develop rules to implement the
bill;

(8)  Contains penalty provisions for dispensers and authorized
persons who violate provisions of the bill; and

(9)  Requires the department to develop an educational course
about the bill and, when appropriate, to work with associations
for impaired professionals to ensure the intervention, treatment,
and ongoing monitoring of patients who have been identified as
being addicted to substances monitored by the bill.

The bill becomes effective January 1, 2007.

The provisions of the bill will expire six years from the
effective date.

Missouri House of Representatives
93rd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated November 29, 2006 at 9:45 am