Michigan committed to helping fight the opioid epidemic when Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed legislation Dec. 27 to implement a set of recommendations to the state's Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Task Force.
Bills 166 and 167 require prescribers to check a patient's prescription history in the Michigan Automated Prescription System before they provide patients with controlled substances. The bills also establish disciplinary action for prescribers who fail to use the MAPS program.
The bills were part of a legislative package introduced in March by Mr. Calley, Gov. Rick Snyder and a group of bipartisan legislators. Other reforms include requiring prescribers to provide information about the dangers of opioids and obtain patients' acknowledgement of the information before they prescribe. Prescribers may also be required to have a bona-fide physician-patient relationship before prescribing controlled substances and provide information on substance use treatment services to patients who have experienced an overdose.
"The addiction epidemic is now claiming more lives than car accidents and we are taking an all-hands-on deck approach in Michigan to combat it and prevent future addiction," Mr. Calley said in a press release. "This legislation will help provide better education on the dangers of addiction before pills are ever dispensed and ensure that a patient's drug history is known before these highly addictive medications are prescribed. Prevention and earlier detection of addiction will save lives."
For a full list of Michigan's updated PDMP requirements, click here.
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