MASSACHUSETTS—Congresswoman Katherine Clark, who represents the 5th Massachusetts Congressional District, is joining Congressman Markwayne Mullin, R-OK, to introduce the Every Prescription Conveyed Securely (EPCS) Act to combat opioid overdoses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 27 percent of those at the highest risk of overdose are prescribed painkillers by more than 1 physician, said the announcement. The bill aims to eliminate duplicative prescriptions that fuel the opioid epidemic by requiring electronic prescriptions for controlled substances under Medicare.
“Opioids claim nearly a hundred lives a day, and parents across the country worry they will be next to get the call their child has overdosed,” said Clark in a statement. “Modernizing public health practices to include electronic prescriptions will curb the over-prescribing of opioids, eliminate the costs and inefficiencies of paperwork, and strengthen communication between doctors and patients. Congress should come together to pass this commonsense solution to prevent overdoses and save lives.”
