{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s1392-114/featured_safer-prescribing-of-controlled-substances-act-1454550321.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s1392-114/featured_large_safer-prescribing-of-controlled-substances-act-1454550321.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s1392-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-05-20","title_override":"Do Prescribers Need Additional Training to Reduce Reliance on Prescription Painkillers?","summary_override":"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.

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Defines a \"covered practitioner\" as a practitioner that is not a hospital, pharmacy, or veterinarian.\n\nRequires such training to expose covered practitioners to:\n\n best practices for pain management, including alternatives to prescribing controlled substances; responsible prescribing of pain medications; methods for diagnosing, treating, and managing a substance use disorder, including evidence-based nonpharmacological therapies; ways of linking patients to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders; and tools to manage adherence and ...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Medical practitioners applying to prescribe controlled substances or renewing their registration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and HHS.","argument_for":"Healthcare workers who would prescribe controlled substances need ongoing training to safely do their job. 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Do Prescribers Need Additional Training to Reduce Reliance on Prescription Painkillers?