On July 23, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health passed H.R. 1725, the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Reauthorization Act of 2015. This ASA-supported legislation, also known as NASPER, provides funding for prescription drug monitoring programs (PMPs). The legislation will next be considered by the full Committee, and ASA and other members of the Pain Care Coalition have urged members of the Energy and Commerce Committee to co-sponsor this bill.
PMPs serve a critical role in the country’s multi-pronged approach to addressing prescription drug abuse. PMPs allow physicians to view the drugs that their patients are receiving from other prescribers or pharmacies, which helps physicians ensure that they prescribe controlled substances only to those patients who use them responsibly to address genuine medical needs and not to those who will abuse or divert them. ASA continues to work in support of efforts to curb prescription drug abuse while ensuring patient access to needed medications, including supporting prescription drug monitoring programs, enhancing physician education on pain care, and increasing research directed at pain medicine therapies.
Find the list of co-sponsors here.
Read the letter from the Pain Care Coalition in support of H.R. 1725.