CHARLESTON — A set of bills aimed at curbing West Virginia’s prescription drug abuse problem is now before the House of Delegates, but one measure in particular is drawing questions about the state’s ability to change companies’ internal policies.
A measure passed Thursday by the House Health and Human Resources Committee would require all pharmacies in the state to provide pharmacists with access to West Virginia’s online prescription drug database.
The idea is to allow pharmacists to see when patients are trying to get multiple fills on a single prescription, a common practice for people abusing drugs.
Two of the largest pharmacy chains in the state, Rite Aid and CVS, though, have internal policies restricting employee access to the Internet for security reasons, according to Sen. Evan Jenkins.
The Cabell County Democrat is the lead sponsor of the bill and the Legislature’s most vocal supporter of the prescription drug abuse reduction agenda. He says he understands the concerns of Rite Aid and CVS, which between them have more than 150 stores in West Virginia, but says public health is paramount.
“Having access to the database trumps that corporate policy from a health and safety perspective,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins has a key House ally in Delegate Don Perdue. The Wayne County Democrat is the chairman of the House health committee, where the bill is now located. Perdue, who is also a pharmacist, supports the measure.
“It will enable pharmacists to be a little more active in helping address this problem,” he said. “That’s another piece of the puzzle.”
After Perdue’s committee unanimously approved the legislation Thursday, Perdue said he would ask the House Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to get it next, to pass on taking up the bill. That would send it straight to the House floor for a vote.
Rite Aid keeps its pharmacies off the Internet as a security precaution to keep patients’ medical information safe, spokeswoman Cheryl Slavinsky said. But the company doesn’t think the West Virginia bill would be too onerous to meet.
“Where Internet access is required, we comply with the law,” she said.
A call to CVS was not immediately returned Thursday.
Along with the prescription drug access bill, the other measures would:
• Mandate the use of tamper-resistant prescription pads
• Make it easier for prosecutors to handle cases of “doctor shopping,” in which patients seek prescriptions for the same ailment from multiple doctors
• Streamline access to the online prescription drug database for the state medical examiner’s office, which investigates fatal overdoses
• Require physicians who dispense medication to follow the same reporting guidelines as pharmacists when it comes to certain drugs
Jenkins is optimistic the entire brace of bills, which has already passed the Senate, will make its way to Gov. Joe Manchin’s desk.
“I’ve not heard any negative reaction on any of the five pieces,” he said.
