I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3927 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a 
pilot program to test the feasibility and outcomes of integrating a sub-
stance use disorder and behavioral health treatment locator tool into 
the prescription drug monitoring programs of 5 eligible States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 24, 2019 
Mr. MCKINLEY (for himself and Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
carry out a pilot program to test the feasibility and 
outcomes of integrating a substance use disorder and 
behavioral health treatment locator tool into the prescrip-
tion drug monitoring programs of 5 eligible States. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘PDMPs Help Patients 
Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM FOR INTEGRATING SUBSTANCE 
USE DISORDER AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 
TREATMENT LOCATOR TOOL INTO STATE 
PRESCRIPTION 
DRUG 
MONITORING 
PRO-
GRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, in consultation with the Assistant Sec-
retary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall estab-
lish and implement a pilot program in which the Secretary 
awards grants to, or enters into cooperative agreements 
with, not more than 5 eligible States to test the feasibility 
and outcomes of integrating a substance use disorder and 
behavioral health treatment locator tool into the State’s 
prescription drug monitoring program. 
(b) GRANT ESTABLISHMENT AND PARTICIPATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—In carrying out the pilot 
program under this section, the Secretary shall, on 
a competitive basis, award grants to, or enter into 
cooperative agreements with, not more than 5 eligi-
ble States. 
(2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant 
under this section, a State shall demonstrate to the 
Secretary’s satisfaction that the State is making 
progress in integrating the State’s PDMP with elec-
tronic health records and health information tech-
nology infrastructure. 
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(3) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under 
this section, the Secretary shall give preference to el-
igible States described in paragraph (2) whose rates 
of death due to drug overdose per population of 
100,000 are in the top quartile according to the 
most recent data of the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention. 
(c) PERIOD OF GRANT.—A grant awarded to an eligi-
ble entity under this section shall be for a period of 2 
years. 
(d) GRANT USES.— 
(1) REQUIRED USES.—A grant awarded under 
this section to an eligible State shall be used for 
both of the following purposes: 
(A) To integrate a substance use disorder 
and behavioral health treatment locator tool 
into the PDMP. 
(B) To develop and disseminate guidance 
for health care providers on how to consult and 
share information obtained through the sub-
stance use disorder and behavioral health treat-
ment locator tool when a patient’s PDMP infor-
mation indicates possible misuse of a controlled 
substance. 
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(2) ADDITIONAL PERMISSIBLE USES.—A grant 
awarded under this section to an eligible State may 
be used for any of the following additional purposes: 
(A) To integrate a substance use disorder 
and behavioral health treatment locator tool 
into the PDMP that incorporates direct referral 
capabilities that enable the health care pro-
vider— 
(i) to refer a patient to treatment or 
for an assessment; and 
(ii) consistent with the protection of 
information by Federal and State privacy 
laws and privacy and security rules, receive 
feedback about the patient’s engagement 
with such treatment or assessment. 
(B) To integrate a substance use disorder 
and behavioral health treatment locator tool 
into the PDMP that provides information re-
garding the current capacity of inpatient or 
outpatient treatment resources of a health care 
provider. 
(e) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) REPORTS BY STATES.—Each eligible State 
that participates in the pilot program under this sec-
tion shall submit to the Secretary an annual report 
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for each year of the pilot program that includes in-
formation on— 
(A) the number of health care providers 
and health facilities with access to the sub-
stance use disorder and behavioral health treat-
ment locator tool; 
(B) the number of individuals referred to 
treatment with the assistance of the locator 
tool; 
(C) aggregate, de-identified patient data 
related to the type of treatment located by the 
locator tool, how often patients followed 
through on seeking such treatment, and the av-
erage duration of such treatment, to the extent 
collected by the State; 
(D) feedback from providers with access to 
the locator tool on usability and any impact on 
outcomes; 
(E) recommendations to improve the 
usability and efficacy of a substance use dis-
order and behavioral health treatment locator 
tool within the PDMP; and 
(F) additional information and reporting 
metrics as determined by the Secretary. 
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(2) REPORT
BY
SECRETARY.—Not less than 
180 days after the conclusion of the pilot program 
under this section, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Congress a report on the findings of the program, 
including— 
(A) outcomes reported by the participating 
States; 
(B) findings on the suitability of including 
a substance use disorder and behavioral health 
treatment locator tool within State PDMPs; 
and 
(C) recommendations on best practices for 
integrating a substance use disorder and behav-
ioral health treatment locator tool within State 
PDMPs. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘prescription drug monitoring 
program’’ or ‘‘PDMP’’ has the meaning given to the 
term ‘‘PDMP’’ in section 399O of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g–3). 
(2) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services. 
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(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 
$2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 and 2021. 
Æ 
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