U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, on Aug. 28 introduced bipartisan legislation to help end the nation’s opioid epidemic, which he said killed 72,000 Americans last year.
“We absolutely have to get smarter about how we use technology and data analysis to fight this crisis,” Rep. MacArthur said. “This crisis does not discriminate. It affects all of us, and it will take all of us working together to beat it. We need to give ourselves every tool we can.”
The Analyzing and Leveraging Existing Rx Transactions (ALERT) Act of 2018, H.R. 6688, would combat the national prescription drug abuse epidemic via creation of the Prescription Safety Alert System for covered drug products, according to the text of the bill in the congressional record.
The nationwide Prescription Safety Alert System would help protect patients from overusing opioids, said MacArthur.
“By giving pharmacists, insurance companies and programs like Medicare a new tool to understand the data they already have, we can help prevent further harm,” said the congressman, who was joined by U.S. Reps. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) and Ann Kuster (D-NH), the Democratic co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, as original cosponsors of H.R. 6688.
“It remains critical that we innovate and use new technologies to battle the opioid epidemic that is sweeping our nation and taking the lives of so many vulnerable victims,” Rep. Comstock said. “Fighting the battle against opioid and prescription drug abuse requires an all-of-the-above community approach and our pharmacists are on the frontlines of this battle and many are witnesses to this abuse every day.”
If enacted, H.R. 6688 would provide a pharmacist with an alert that someone might be at risk of overuse based on their prescription history, or could be “doctor-shopping to feed their addiction,” Rep. MacArthur explained in an Aug. 30 statement.
“Instead of filling that unnecessary prescription, pharmacists will have an extra tool to detect and prevent these dangers,” he said. “People struggling with substance abuse need our care and diligence while they seek treatment.”
Under H.R. 6688, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would collaborate on establishing the alert system with the private sector to analyze the transaction data that gets generated each time a prescription is filled. Then, the system would provide real-time feedback at the point of sale, according to MacArthur’s statement.
Currently, most states operate Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, which allow prescribers and pharmacists to track prescription drug use, according to the congressman’s staff. However, such systems often aren’t updated in real-time, to the disadvantage of pharmacists.
The current systems also are prone to user error because prescribers and pharmacists must manually input and check the data in a separate system.
Rep. Comstock reiterated that alerts created under H.R. 6688 would make real-time data available “and help those addicted to prescription painkillers get the help they so desperately need.”
“We cannot arrest our way out of this crisis, instead we must ensure our healthcare providers have critical tools like this alert system that can help prevent abuse and overdoses before it’s too late,” she added.
Rep. Kuster noted that H.R. 6688 complements existing Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs in a minimally disruptive manner and maintains patient privacy protections, among other purposes. “I look forward to continuing to work across the aisle to advance measures to take on this crisis and save lives,” the congresswoman said.
The ALERT Act is supported by several industry organizations representing pharmacies, behavioral health and substance abuse treatment experts, and heath technology providers. The Brain Injury Association of America, Walgreens, the eRx Network, and RelayHealth Pharmacy Solutions, among others, also expressed support for the measure.
H.R. 6688 has been referred to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.