Doctors in Oklahoma would be required to check a new prescription drug database before prescribing certain addictive drugs under a bill signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin.

After the Senate voted 35-10 on March 31 for the bill, Fallin held an impromptu signing ceremony for the measure that has been a priority of hers for several years. It the first bill she has signed this legislative session, and it will take effect Nov. 1.

Under the bill, doctors would have to access the database before prescribing certain highly addictive drugs or refilling prescriptions. The database, which is operated by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, includes real-time information on whether that patient has obtained prescriptions from another doctor.

A similar proposal last year was opposed by the Oklahoma State Medical Association, which was concerned it would place a new unfunded mandate on healthcare providers. But the association worked with legislators this year on a compromise measure and ultimately endorsed its passage.

“The goal of the bill is to stop doctor-shopping in the state of Oklahoma,” Fallin said, referring to the practice of drug seekers going to multiple physicians to acquire prescription narcotics. “More Oklahomans die from prescription drug overdoses each year than they do from car wrecks in our state.”

According to statistics from the State Department of Health, Oklahoma’s drug overdose rate increased by nearly 400 percent from 1999 to 2013, and the state currently has the sixth-highest unintentional drug overdose death rate in the U.S.

The American Insurance Association (AIA) issued a statement praising Fallin’s signing of HB 1948 into law.

“Opioid abuse remains one of the most urgent issues facing the workers’ compensation system nationally. This is more than just an economic issue, it is a societal issue that’s harming injured workers and preventing them from achieving a full recovery,” Fred C. Bosse, AIA’s Southwest region vice president, said in the statement.

“By strengthening Oklahoma’s PDMP and requiring physicians to check the database before issuing a prescription, HB 1948 is a necessary tool to combat this epidemic. It should help to ensure that patients are receiving the proper treatment for their injuries while also preventing long-term dependency,” Bosse said.

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