releases: https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-presses-va-on-prescription-practices-guidelines-for-controlled-substances
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-presses-va-on-prescription-practices-guidelines-for-controlled-substances | Donnelly Presses VA on Prescription Practices, Guidelines for Controlled Substances | 2015-12-08 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Democrat | House | IN | Joe Donnelly | D000607 | www.donnelly.senate.gov | legacy | Donnelly Presses VA on Prescription Practices, Guidelines for Controlled Substances Senator sends letter to VA Secretary expressing concern about prescribing practices and pain management policies to address opioid addiction crisis, asks questions in light of federal inspection of the Marion, Indiana Veterans Affairs Medical Center Tuesday, December 8, 2015 Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly pressed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on VAs current prescription practices and guidelines for controlled substances.In a letter sent to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald today, Donnelly asked about steps at the federal level to address prescribing practices and how increased training for prescribers can help Indiana address its opioid addition crisis. Following the recent Drug Enforcement Administrations inspection of the Marion, Indiana Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Donnelly asked a number of questions about the VAs efforts related to prescribing opioids to veterans. Among Donnellys questions, he asked about how the VA ensures patient safety and whether complaints have been received about opioid prescribing practices in Indiana, and if so what actions have been taken to address them. Donnelly wrote, in part: I am deeply concerned about the epidemic of opioid addiction and overdose death that is devastating families both in Indiana and across the country. In light of the Drug Enforcement Administration inspection of Marion, Indiana Veteran Affairs Medical Center, I am particularly interested in the VAs efforts to ensure that all of its prescribers comply with the Controlled Substances Act requirements and are using evidence based practices for prescribing controlled substances. Addiction, especially the recent increase in prescription drug abuse and heroin use, impacts Hoosiers in all corners of our state from our largest cities to rural communities. As Senator, I have met with too many families who are struggling to find appropriate treatment services for a loved one in need. The epidemic has touched our children, adults, and even our veterans. While there is no easy solution, there are steps that we can take to enhance our prevention efforts so that fewer families will suffer from addiction or the untimely death of a loved one. For nearly two years, Donnelly has been working to combat the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemics in Indiana and across the country, by listening to Hoosiers, introducing bipartisan legislation, partnering with federal, state, and local officials, and bringing together stakeholders. He reintroduced the bipartisan Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act with Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) in April. Their bill would take a multi-pronged approach to help prevent opioid abuse and heroin use. Earlier this year, Senator Donnelly and U.S. Representative Susan Brooks (IN-05) hosted a bipartisan roundtable discussion at IUPUI with Indiana and federal health officials, doctors, and pharmacists to hear directly from Hoosiers about best practices to help curb the opioid-abuse epidemic. Donnelly made recommendations in a letter to the Governors Drug Task Force, providing suggestions for short- and long-term responses to Indianas addiction problems. In addition to offering specific suggestions to the Task Force, Donnelly emphasized that any strategy to address addiction in Indiana will require the State to not only identify necessary policy changes, but also make a commitment to implementing and funding those changes moving forward. Both state and federal officials are acting on some of the bipartisan policies Donnelly has advocated for, including improving prescribing practices and enhancing prescriber engagement, raising public awareness of the dangers of prescription drug abuse and heroin use, and better utilizing prescription drug monitoring programs at the state level. Full text of Donnellys letter follows. To see the signed letter, click here. December 8, 2015 The Honorable Robert A. McDonald Secretary Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Avenue, Northwest Washington DC 20420 Dear Secretary McDonald: I am writing you in regard to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) current policy on the prescription practices and guidelines for controlled substances. I am deeply concerned about the epidemic of opioid addiction and overdose death that is devastating families both in Indiana and across the country. In light of the Drug Enforcement Administrations inspection of Marion, Indiana Veteran Affairs Medical Center, I am particularly interested in the VAs efforts to ensure that all of its prescribers comply with the Controlled Substances Act requirements and are using evidence based practices for prescribing controlled substances. Addiction, especially the recent increase in prescription drug abuse and heroin use, impacts Hoosiers in all corners of our state from our largest cities to rural communities. As Senator, I have met with too many families who are struggling to find appropriate treatment services for a loved one in need. The epidemic has touched our children, adults, and even our veterans. While there is no easy solution, there are steps that we can take to enhance our prevention efforts so that fewer families will suffer from addiction or the untimely death of a loved one. That is why in 2014, I introduced the Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention, Education, and Enforcement Act, with Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), and reintroduced similar legislation in April of this year. Our bill establishes an interagency task force to develop best practice guidelines for prescribing opioid pain medication and would further enable the development of state prescription drug monitoring programs. Since introducing this legislation, I have been working with my colleagues, federal agency partners, as well as state and local officials to advance these policy priorities. More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than they do in motor vehicle crashes and the majority of those overdoses involve prescription medications. To address this crisis this October, the President issued a Presidential Memorandum directing Federal Departments and Agencies to ensure that health care professional who prescribe opioids are properly trained in opioid prescribing. Your leadership has been recognized to lead a research initiative to evaluate non-opioid alternative approaches to pain management. Further, the Department of Defense and Department of Veteran Affairs have been tasked with developing a standardized pain management curriculum for widespread use in education and training programs. What type of policy and/or process improvement initiatives has the Veteran Health Administration implemented in order to comply with the Controlled Substance Act or Presidential Memorandum? What are the challenges to implementing initiatives to address this crisis and ensure the highest level of patient safety? What expanded role will the VAs Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Department play in the comprehensive evidence based pain management of our Veterans? Are these CAM capabilities available in Indiana? If not, is there a planned timeline for implementation? Do you have an internal and external mechanism to receive complaints and suggestions at all VA facilities in Indiana? How are they managed to ensure that Senior Executives are notified of these reports? Do you have a specific metric that causes immediate processing to the highest levels of leadership? Have there been complaints about opioid prescribing practices in Indiana? If so, what were the complaints? Were they substantiated? What action was taken to address the complaints? It is my understanding that the VHA Handbook 1108.1, Controlled Substances, is scheduled for recertification. It is my hope that this update will include measures that will provide the highest security measures for controlled substances, clarify policies governing the most secure supply chain, and outline roles and responsibilities for personnel responsible for these substances. Specifically, I am interested in the following: Are there universal policies that govern controlled substances across the Veteran Health Administration or are they locally controlled by facility and/or state? How does the Veteran Health Administration ensure all of their providers with prescriptive authority for controlled substances receive continued medical education for prescribing controlled substances and recognizing addiction behaviors? How does the VHA ensure their practicing clinicians are in compliance with the Controlled Substance Act? Have there been any incidences where a VAMC or CBOC in Indiana has been found to be not incompliance with rules and regulations governing controlled substances? Is there a VA policy for follow-up internal review following the completion of a DEA investigation? How does the prescribing rate at the Marion VA facility compare to the prescribing rates at other VA hospitals serving a similar panel of enrollees? Does the Office of Inspector General review controlled substance prescription practices during their routine reviews of facilities? Does the local Quality Assurance Reviews address evidence based practices for opioid prescription practices? INSPECT, Indianas prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP), is an important component of Indianas strategy to prevent prescription drug abuse and diversion. I am a strong supporter of utilizing PDMPs to their fullest potential as a resource for healthcare providers, public health officials, and law enforcement. However, PDMPs can only be an effective tool if they include information that is as up-to-date and complete as possible. Does the Veteran Health Administration have a universal policy that gives all medical providers the electronic capability and/or responsibility to verify a patients current medications (i.e. controlled substances)? If not, how does the VHA ensure that patients are not receiving multiple prescriptions for controlled substances at different locations? When are medical providers and pharmacists required to check the respective states PDMP before prescribing or issuing controlled substances? Do any Veteran Administration Medical Centers in Indiana provide data to INSPECT, Indianas prescription drug monitoring program? What barriers exist for centers in Indiana that currently are not providing data to INSPECT? Thank you for your leadership and consideration of this critically important issue. I look forward to your response to the questions I have provided. Sincerely, Joe Donnelly United States Senator ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |