Working to Curb Opioid Overprescribing
On Tuesday, I joined my House colleagues in continuing our fight against the opioid crisis by pushing legislation to combat the significant overprescribing of drugs to Pennsylvanians within the state’s Workers’ Compensation (WC) system.
According to a 2017 study by the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute, Pennsylvania is the second highest state in the number of opioids per claim, 87 percent higher than the median state. It also found Pennsylvania is the second highest state in the number of opioid pills per claim, at 258 pills, and the second highest state in the opioid dosage per pill, at 10.2 mg.
House Bill 18 would take a commonsense approach to the problem by requiring the Department of Labor and Industry to adopt changes to the official state list of medicines, known as formularies, which may be prescribed for those within the Workers’ Compensation program. A similar bill, Senate Bill 936, also is currently being considered.
I remain committed to doing everything possible to address this crisis.
Detox Bed Registry Bill Clears House
My bill to create a detoxification bed registry to facilitate treatment for drug addiction passed the House unanimously on Wednesday.
Under the bill, the Department of Human Services would develop and administer an internet-based detoxification bed registry to collect, aggregate and display information about available beds in public and private inpatient psychiatric facilities and licensed detoxification and rehabilitation facilities for the treatment of individuals in need of inpatient hospitalization or detoxification.
This registry would contain information for facilities and licensed providers; information regarding the number of beds available at a facility; and provide a search function to identify available beds that are appropriated for the treatment of a substance abuse emergency.
This initiative provides another tool for health care providers in the fight to curb Pennsylvania’s opioid epidemic. Currently, we have families seeking treatment who cannot access what they desperately need. We must work to make more treatment beds available and this bill will help accomplish that goal.
House Bill 825 must now be considered by the Senate.
Carbon County Receives Over $700,000 in Commonwealth Financing Authority Grants
Sen. John Yudichak and I were pleased to announce this week that nine Carbon County projects will receive $797,458 in funding through the Monroe County Local Share Account from the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
The following projects in Carbon County were approved for funding:
•Carbon County will receive $200,000 in funding for Phase 1B in the construction process of the Carbon County Emergency and Operations Center. Phase 1B is the construction of a fire tower, which will be used by Carbon County fire departments for training purposes.
•The borough of Beaver Meadows will receive $167,500 on behalf of the Carbon County Council of Governments. The funding will be used to purchase an Elgin Whirlwind Street Sweeper. The street sweeper will be shared between all member municipalities in the CCCOG.
•The borough of Nesquehoning will receive $166,053 in funding on behalf of the Nesquehoning Hose Company No. 1. The funding will be used to complete a renovation project on the Nesquehoning Hose Company No. 1 firehouse.
•Franklin Township will receive $150,000 in funding on behalf of the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Company. The funding will be used to complete a renovation project on the fire company’s firehouse.
•The borough of Lansford will receive $35,000 in funding to help with the reconstruction of the Lansford Pool.
•Banks Township will receive $34,300 in funding on behalf of the Tresckow Fire Department. The funding will be used to make ADA and HVAC renovations to the Tresckow Fire Department’s social hall, which hosts the community’s major events and meetings.
•The Carbon County Chamber and Economic Development Corp. will receive $21,618 in funding on behalf of the Lehighton Area Library. The funding will help complete an abatement and renovation project.
•Penn Forest Township will receive $20,000 in funding on behalf of the Penn Forest Township Fire Company No. 1. The funding will be used to help purchase and install a new electric sign outside its facility.
•The Carbon County Chamber and Economic Development Corp. will receive $2,987 in funding on behalf of the Carbon County Community Foundation.
Getting Medical Test Results Faster
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Patients who have medical imaging tests done would get their results faster, especially if follow-up care is needed, under legislation which passed the House this week.
House Bill 1884 would require that results which are provided to a health care practitioner after certain diagnostic imaging services are performed on a patient be sent directly to the patient or designee within 20 days if the results include a significant abnormality. The clock starts when the results are sent to the patient’s ordering physician.
The test results may be sent electronically by email or fax or added to the patient’s electronic medical record. Test results belong to the patient, and by law, are provided upon request.
Providing patients with the summary of test results when an abnormality presents will enable patients to be proactive in their health care, and provide a safety net in the event of communication breakdown.
The bill now moves to the state Senate for approval.
Protecting Your Personal Information from Tax Identity Thieves
To bring greater awareness to the crime of tax identity theft, House Resolution 646 recognizes Jan. 29 through Feb. 2 as Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week in Pennsylvania. According to the Federal Trade Commission, tax refund fraud is the largest and fastest-growing identity theft category.
Tax identity theft occurs when someone steals a person’s personal information, often obtained through old tax returns, and uses it to file current fraudulent tax returns in someone else’s name to receive a tax refund.
Taxpayers in their 20s are at the highest risk for tax identity theft victimization; however, anyone at any age can be targeted. The best way to safeguard a person’s identity is to properly dispose of any documents that contain personal and identifying information by shredding bank and credit card statements, as well as old tax returns. In addition, individuals should use firewall and anti-virus software on devices, create strong passwords on websites, and refrain from opening emails from unknown senders.
In addition to using stolen information to get a tax refund, thieves may also use stolen Social Security numbers to get a job. If you receive a letter from the IRS saying more than one tax return was filed in your name, or IRS records show you have wages from an employer you don’t know, then you may be the victim of tax identity theft. Also, if you suspect a letter, email or telephone call about your tax records is a scam, call the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue at 717-787-8201 or the IRS at 800-829-1040.
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Looking Forward to Our 2018 Senior Expo
Our 2018 Senior Expo will be held in a new location – the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Hall. We were unable to book Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall due to issues outside of our control, but we look forward hosting a great Senior Expo, along with Sen. John Yudichak, on Thursday, Sept. 6.
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