Prescription drug monitoring bill advances

Lawmakers gave first-round approval to a bill Feb. 22 that would require the state Department of Health and Human Services to establish or enhance technology for a prescription medication alert system in the state.

Omaha Senator Gwen Howard, sponsor of LB237, said the measure is intended to prevent the misuse of prescription drugs by allowing doctors and pharmacists to monitor patients’ medication use through an alert system.

Individuals who become addicted to prescription drugs often visit many doctors and pharmacies in order to obtain multiple prescriptions, Howard said. Without a means of tracking medications, prescribers are unable to detect and intervene in drug abuse, she said.

“Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the country,” she said.

Howard explained that the bill would allow HHS to collaborate with the Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NEHII) to add an alert screen to its existing patient medical records system.

NEHII currently allows physicians and pharmacists to share health information about patients, she said, and LB237 would allow the state to use the NEHII infrastructure to track drug seekers.

“This system is the wave of the future,” Howard said.

The bill advanced from general file on a 37-0 vote.