Legislators this year will consider a host of new compacts that could help them tackle a variety of challenging issues, covering everything from prescription drug abuse to insurance. The Council of State Governments’ National Center for Interstate Compacts has been instrumental in helping craft these compacts.

Legislative auditors in West Virginia recently endorsed the Prescription Monitoring Program Compact developed by CSG's National Center for Interstate Compacts.  The auditors recommended to the state legislature that interstate prescription drug data exchange was essential to eventually reducing the epidemic of prescription drug abuse.  The compact allows states to securely share prescription drug data while also protecting patient privacy.  To read more about the scope of the problem in West Virginia please click here.  To learn more about the compact please click here or contact Crady deGolian at 859-244-8068 or by e-mail at cdegolian@csg.org.

A quarter per prescriber: That’s how much states will be asked to pay for membership in a new prescription monitoring compact.  The cost for participating compact states is one of several details discussed at The Council of State Governments’ 2010 National Conference Dec. 6 in Providence, R.I. The compact has been in the works for a year, but policymakers got their first detailed look at the proposed compact during a half-day session at the conference.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The Council of State Governments (CSG) encourages states to adopt and support a robust and flexible intrastate prescription drug monitoring program to better track and prevent the illicit access to, distribution and use of prescription drugs;

Crady deGolian, Senior Policy Analyst with CSG's National Center for Interstate Compacts (NCIC), spent time yesterday discussing the details of the newly drafted Prescription Monitoring Program Compact with the Executive Board of the Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs.  During the call board members asked questions about compacts in general and the specifics of the Prescription Monitoring Program Compact.

Crady deGolian, Senior Policy Analyst with CSG’s National Center for Interstate Compacts (NCIC) and Rick Masters, special counsel to NCIC, participated in the Prescription Drug Abuse Forum hosted by the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse.  The meeting, which was co-chaired Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-05), Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (CA-45), and Congressman Bill Delahunt (MA-10) provided an opportunity for subject matter experts to brief members of Congress and legislative staffers about the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse and steps that are being taken to combat the problem.  

The Prescription Monitoring Program Compact is nearly drafted following a successful meeting between CSG staff and prescription monitoring program experts.  During the day-and-a-half meeting the draft compact underwent a detailed review, with extensive emphasis placed on the compact's Purpose Statement, its definitions, Article III dealing with authorized uses and restrictions on the prescription data, Article IV addressing technology and security, and Article V addressing funding.

The Council of State Governments will convene the fourth meeting of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Compact drafting team next week.  During the meeting, which will take place September 13-14 in Lexington, finishing touches will be put on the draft compact, which CSG aims to have ready for introduction into the states during the 2011 session.  CSG, through The National Center for Interstate Compacts, began efforts to draft the compact in late 2010 at the request of its membership.  To learn more about the meeting or the compact please check CSG's Knowledge Center following the meeting or contact Crady deGolian at cdegolian@csg.org or at 859-244-8068.