ST. LOUIS (KTRS) Missouri is no longer the only state in the country without a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. During his visit to Express Scripts in North St. Louis County, Governor Eric Greitens signed an executive order to establish a prescription drug monitoring program.
The state is partnering with Express Scripts to create the system. It’s expected to go live within a month.
Missouri lawmakers for years have considered a drug monitoring program to combat doctor shopping and prescription opioid addiction. But efforts have until now failed, largely because of privacy concerns about keeping medical information in a database. Already, one GOP lawmaker from Ballwin has criticized Gov. Greitens’s action. State Representative Shamed Dogan (R-98) posted on Twitter that, “Governing by executive order because you couldn’t get a bill passed was wrong under Obama and it’s wrong today.” Another Republican, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, applauded the decision, calling it long overdue.