On May 12, the Controlled Substances Board (CSB) held a hearing and took votes on CSB 4, a rule governing Wisconsin’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).
During that meeting, the Board voted to make a change to the rule language so it would be consistent with amended statutory language recommended the day before by the Joint Finance Committee that would align PDMP review requirements with accepted practices of agency and medical delegation (see story here). The Board also voted to request the Department of Safety and Professional Services review its agreement with its PDMP vendor to help facilitate the integration of the PDMP with electronic health records (EHRs).
WHA and the Wisconsin Medical Society jointly provided testimony to the Board recommending additional clarification to regulations created by the Board in emergency rule regarding the ePDMP mandate in Wisconsin. These comments focused on facilitating EHR integration and providing regulatory clarity regarding the review mandate to achieve a maximally functioning PDMP system that is carefully tailored to balance and recognize impacts on care delivery efficiency, clinical efficacy and quality of care, and the professional medical judgment of physicians and other prescribers.
"Achieving a maximally functioning PDMP system is particularly important for physicians and their health systems as they are under significant pressure to provide health care in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible," said Matthew Stanford, WHA general counsel. "Those and other pressures are also contributing to ever-increasing rates of physician burnout, which ultimately impacts access to physician care in Wisconsin. Thus, it is important that regulations and processes are carefully tailored to balance and recognize impacts on care delivery efficiency, clinical efficacy and quality of care, and the professional medical judgment of physicians and other prescribers."
For additional questions about the CSB’s actions as well as the recommendations proposed to the CSB, contact Stanford at mstanford@wha.org.