imilar to students, Missouri politicos seem to operate in semesters. We will consider January through May our “spring semester”. It is the five months of early mornings and late nights known as the annual legislative session. Then comes “summer break”, June through August, where lawmakers return home to enjoy sum- mer with their families.
Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of the final semester of the year. Special interest groups begin exploring and solidifying their legislative agendas for the upcoming legisla- tive session. Candidates eying public office host fundraisers across the state. Veto session brings all interested parties back to Jefferson City one last time before the new year. New laws signed by the Governor and passed dur- ing the last legislative session go into effect.
Bills passed during the regular legislative session and signed by the Governor go into effect 90 days after the General Assembly adjourns, typically August 28. The legislature passed only a few healthcare-related laws this session. Perhaps most important among them is a state prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP).
Missouri became the 50th and final state in the country to adopt a statewide PDMP with the passage of Senate Bill 63. Sponsored by Senator Holly Rehder (R-Sikeston), the bill formally establishes the Joint Oversight Task Force of Prescription Drug Monitoring, which is responsible for the collection and maintenance of prescription and dispensa- tion data of all prescribed controlled sub- stances to Missouri patients.
So, what does this mean for you? While I wish I could say, truly, it is too soon to know.
The implementation of a statewide PDMP program may take some time. The bill, which went into effect August 28, does not create a statewide PDMP. This is a common misconception. Rather, it authorizes the creation of a special task force, which will be responsible for the creation and implementation of the program. The task force will consist of six members appointed by their respective state regulatory boards:
• Two physicians from the Board of Registration for the Healing Arts;
• Two pharmacists from the Board of Pharmacy;
• One advanced practice registered nurse from the Board of Nursing; and,
• One dentist from the Missouri Dental Board.
We are happy to announce MDA member, Dr. William (Bill) Kane has been selected to serve on the Task Force. Dr. Kane is a long-time advocate and educator on this topic. Among other efforts, in 2011, he co- authored, “Prevention of prescription opioid abuse: The role of the dentist” (published in JADA). In 2020, he provided an online training for the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health, titled “Revisiting the Opioid Epidemic Inside the Pandemic”. Dr. Kane is a former Missouri Dental Board president and Missouri Dental Well Being Committee member.
Once all members of the Task Force are se- lected, they will begin their work in selecting a vendor to operate the program, and to col- lect and maintain the necessary data—which
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will be collected from three key groups: prescribers, dispensers and patients. As a “prescriber”, you will be responsible for sub- mitting the following information whenever you prescribe a Schedule II, III or IV drug:
• The prescription number • Whether the prescription is new or a refill
• Your DEA or NPI number
You already may be used to submitting this information if you participate in the St. Louis County PDMP, which covers 87 percent of the state. This program will continue to operate until the Task Force secures a con- tract with a vendor. If you do not currently participate in the St. Louis County program, you may need to make some changes. Once a vendor is selected and the statewide program begins, submitting the necessary data likely will need to be done electronically. At this time, we do not know what sort of technol- ogy or software will be necessary, but please keep this in mind.
LOOKING AHEAD: VETO SESSION
Lawmakers will have the opportunity to override any of the Governor’s vetoes during the annual Veto Session beginning September 14. This year, the Governor ve- toed four bills:
