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Government NewsFull Access

Some Prescriptions May Get Closer Monitoring

Published Online:19 Nov 2004https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.39.22.00390014a

The House of Representatives, before it recessed last month, passed a bill that would establish a national reporting database for controlled substances.

The bill covers medications in Schedules 2 through 4 of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The CSA places all substances that are federally regulated into one of five schedules. The placement depends on the substance's medicinal value, harmfulness, and potential for abuse or addiction. Schedule 1 drugs are considered the most dangerous, with no recognized medical use, while Schedule 5 is reserved for the least dangerous drugs, according to the CSA legislation.

Rep. Edward Whitfield (R-Ky.), the bill's sponsor, said last year when he introduced the bill that it was intended to keep drug addicts from“ doctor shopping” and to prevent prescription mix-ups, according to an October 1 article in iHealthBeat.

The National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2004 would require pharmacists to file a report within one week of dispensing a controlled substance.

The report is to include the name of the person who prescribed the drug, contact information for the person who received the drug, the drug's national drug code number, and the number of refills ordered.

Doctors and other clinicians would have access to the database information under certain circumstances, which would be determined by the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The legislation also calls for HHS to establish a uniform electronic format for reporting and sharing drug data.

The bill, HR 3015, authorizes federal appropriation of $25 million each in Fiscal 2006 and 2007, and $15 million in each of the following three fiscal years to help pay for the databases.

The bill has been sent to the Senate, where it awaits action.

The National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2004 can be accessed online at<http://thomas.loc.gov> by searching on the bill name or number, HR 3015.

The Controlled Substances Act is posted online at<www.usdoj.gov/dea/agency/csa.htm>.▪