Do Prescribers Need Additional Training to Reduce Reliance on Prescription Painkillers? (S. 1392)

What is S. 1392?

(Updated March 15, 2018)

This bill would require that healthcare providers applying for or renewing a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license to prescribe controlled substances complete mandatory training to reduce the potential for abuse. Among the controlled substances that practitioners would be medication like prescription painkillers and other medications subject to the Controlled Substances Act.

Prescriber training would be required to include:

• Best practices for pain management, including alternatives to prescribing controlled substances;

• Responsible prescribing of pain medications;

• Methods of diagnosing, treating, and managing a substance use disorder, including evidence-based nonpharmacological therapies;

• Ways to link patients to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders;

• Tools to manage adherence and diversion for controlled substances.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration would be required to establish or help set up a free, online training module that covers the above subjects practitioners need to complete.

Additionally, the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) would be required to:

• Establish, maintain, and periodically update a publicly available database with information on the training modules;

• Evaluate and publicly publish a report describing how increased training has changed patterns of prescribing controlled substances within five year of this bill’s enactment.
  

Argument in favor

Healthcare workers who would prescribe controlled substances need ongoing training to safely do their job. Requiring the completion of training when prescribers receive or renew their registration makes sense.

Argument opposed

Prescribers shouldn’t be required to undergo training in alternatives to dispensing controlled substances in order to write prescriptions for painkillers. Hospitals and clinics should be able to require this training of their own accord.

Impact

Medical practitioners applying to prescribe controlled substances or renewing their registration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and HHS.

Cost of S. 1392

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) lamented the increased dependence on prescription painkillers in the U.S., and its correlation with addiction:

“Sadly, with only five percent of the world’s population consuming nearly 99 percent of the global supply of hydrocodone, we have become the United States of Vicodin. We need to stop the over-prescription of opioid pain medication and ensure prescribers are educated in responsible prescribing practices and can identify possible substance use disorders in patients.”

The American Public Health Association, the American Association of Poison Control Centers, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine have all expressed support for this legislation.

Media:

• Sponsoring Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) Press Release
• Cape Cod Times
• The Recorder
• American Association of Poison Control Centers (In Favor)
• American Public Health Association (In Favor)

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user sfxeric)