News, Culture and NPR for Central & Northern Michigan
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
91.7FM Alpena and WCML-TV Channel 6 Alpena are off the air. Click here to learn more.

Bill package would give state police access to some patient prescription information

Raymond Wambsgans
/
https://flic.kr/p/FMWLrm

Mental health advocacy groups are raising concerns about a package of bills that would give the Michigan State Police access to patient prescription information.

Officials with the MSP say getting access to the information would allow them to be more proactive about combatting Michigan’s opioid epidemic.

Mark Reinstein is with the Mental Health Association in Michigan. He said giving the police access to prescription information is a violation of patient privacy.

“We think there has to be a probable cause of something established before the police can request and get that info. They don’t think so.”

Officials with the MSP say access to the data will allow them to investigate opioid diversion - that’s the practice of getting opioids legally and then funneling them into the illicit market. Right now, police say, they have to react to overdoses and then investigate deaths after the fact.

Reinstein disagreed.

“They do not need the names of individual recipients of prescriptions to come up with fraudulent prescribing patterns or patterns that they can use to break organized rings regarding the illegal distribution of these substances.”

Reinstein said the legislation as written violates the code of federal regulations on substance use disorder confidentiality.

He said the Association put forward amendments to fix these problems, but they weren’t accepted.