Title: Prescriber Support Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Prescriber Support Act of 2017
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states for systems that help prescribers: (1) treat and manage patient pain; and (2) prevent, identify, and respond to patient substance misuse and substance abuse disorders. In awarding grants, HHS must give priority to states with the greatest need.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1375 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1375

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of 
 Health of Human Services to award grants to States (or collaborations 
of States) to establish, expand, or maintain a comprehensive regional, 
      State, or municipal system to provide training, education, 
 consultation, and other resources to prescribers relating to patient 
 pain, substance misuse, and substance abuse disorders, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2017

    Ms. Clark of Massachusetts (for herself and Mr. Jenkins of West 
  Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of 
 Health of Human Services to award grants to States (or collaborations 
of States) to establish, expand, or maintain a comprehensive regional, 
      State, or municipal system to provide training, education, 
 consultation, and other resources to prescribers relating to patient 
 pain, substance misuse, and substance abuse disorders, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Prescriber Support Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. RESOURCES FOR PRESCRIBERS ON PATIENT PAIN, SUBSTANCE MISUSE, 
              AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS.

    The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 
399O of such Act (42 U.S.C. 280g-3) the following:

``SEC. 399O-1. RESOURCES FOR PRESCRIBERS ON PATIENT PAIN, SUBSTANCE 
              MISUSE, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS.

    ``(a) Grants.--The Secretary may award grants to States (or 
collaborations of States) to establish, expand, or maintain a 
comprehensive regional, State, or municipal system to provide training, 
education, consultation, and other resources to enable prescribers--
            ``(1) to effectively and appropriately treat and manage 
        patient pain; and
            ``(2) to prevent, identify, and respond to patient 
        substance misuse and substance abuse disorders.
    ``(b) System Implementation.--A system funded through this section 
may provide the training, education, consultation, and other resources 
described in subsection (a) directly or through a professional 
association, an institution of higher education, a nonprofit 
organization, or another appropriate entity.
    ``(c) Number.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, the 
Secretary shall make grants under this section to not fewer than 3 
States (or collaborations of States).
    ``(d) Priority.--In making grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to applications to States (or collaborations of 
States) demonstrating the greatest lack of, and need for, the training, 
education, consultation, and other resources described in subsection 
(a).
    ``(e) Evaluation.--Not later than 3 years after the date on which a 
State (or collaboration of States) receives a grant under this section, 
the State (or collaboration) shall submit to the Secretary an 
evaluation of the extent to which the system funded through the grant 
has been effective in--
            ``(1) improving the treatment and management of pain; and
            ``(2) preventing, identifying, and responding to substance 
        misuse and substance abuse disorders.
    ``(f) Minimum Requirements.--To be eligible for assistance under 
this section, a system described in subsection (a) shall include--
            ``(1) a peer-to-peer consultation program that enables 
        prescribers to receive real-time expert consultation (in person 
        or remotely) with a pain or addiction specialist to aid in the 
        individualized treatment and management of patient pain and in 
        responding to patients who are exhibiting signs of substance 
        misuse or substance abuse disorders;
            ``(2) coordination with community-based resources and 
        services, including mental health and substance abuse 
        resources, pain and addiction specialists, primary care 
        resources, and support groups; and
            ``(3) a dedicated website to collect and disseminate 
        information for prescribers, including--
                    ``(A) information on the consultation program under 
                paragraph (1);
                    ``(B) a detailed and continuously updated guide to 
                the community-based resources and services identified 
                and coordinated under paragraph (2), including 
                information on the services provided and the 
                populations served; and
                    ``(C) appropriate training and educational 
                materials, such as appropriate prescribing guidelines 
                and information on the treatment and management of 
                chronic pain, alternatives to opioid-based pain 
                treatment, substance abuse screening, and follow-up 
                support.
    ``(g) Application.--To seek a grant under this section, a State (or 
collaboration of States) shall submit an application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require.
    ``(h) Prescriber Defined.--In this section, the term `prescriber' 
means a health care professional authorized under State law to 
prescribe drugs.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022.''.
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