Bush passes measure to further tackle opioid crisis

SPRINGFIELD – To further reduce opioid abuse, State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) passed a measure to ensure every medication prescriber, including e-prescribers, has access to the same database.

“Every prescriber should have access to the prescription database, so they can keep better track of which patients received medications and when they received them,” Bush said. “Checking when someone last received a medication will crack down on overprescribing and doctor shopping.”

The Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program collects information on controlled substance prescriptions dispensed in Illinois. The PMP website allows prescribers and dispensers to view a current or prospective patient's prescription history.

The ultimate goal of the PMP is to assist prescribers and dispensers in the effective treatment of patients seeking medical care. However, currently not every prescriber has access to the database. 

House Bill 2488, sponsored by Bush, would tackle that issue. The measure would ensure every person who has prescribing authority has access to the PMP.

In 2017, Bush passed a law to require prescribers of controlled substances to check the PMP to see if a patient has been prescribed a controlled substance by another doctor prior to writing an initial prescription. That can’t be done if some prescribers don’t have access to the database.

“This commonsense measure is the next step in fighting the ongoing opioid crisis,” Bush said. “I won’t stop working to protect the people of Illinois until this crisis has ended.”

Bush passed the measure out of the Senate Sunday.