Proposal Would Exclude Vets From Prescription Tracking Law
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 02/07/2013
Wisconsin veterinarians would be exempt from following strict guidelines set from the prescription drug monitoring program under a bill being proposed in the state legislature. Under current law, people who dispense certain kinds of medicine are required to keep thorough records on all prescriptions. But animal
health officials say that's more difficult for them to do because they don't have the same technology as medical doctors do.
"Due to the nature of veterinary prescriptions, there is almost zero risk of the medications being misused by humans," said state Rep. Ed Brooks of Reedsburg, a co-sponsor of the bill. "Exempting veterinarians from the prescription drug monitoring program will save these small businesses from significant
compliance costs."
Rep. Stephen Smith from Shell Lake is another supporter of the measure. He adds that the 2009 law was going to make it harder for veterinarians to do their job and operate their small businesses.
"Our veterinarians serve an important role in our agricultural economy, and it's important that we do all we can to make sure they can do their jobs in an efficient and cost-effective way," Smith said.
The drug monitoring program was created with the intent to track the use and abuse of prescription drugs in Wisconsin. It requires the collection of data regarding the prescribing and dispensing of monitored prescription drugs and the uploading of that data electronically into a state database. At the time of its
approval, veterinarian tried unsuccessfully to be exempt from the standards.
The new bill was unanimously approved in the Assembly Agriculture Committee in January and is now ready to be brought before the entire State Assembly for a floor vote.
