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Bean Wants Privacy for Rx Database

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Florida Senate
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Opting for stronger privacy controls despite law enforcement concerns, the Senate Health Policy Committee has approved changes to Florida’s prescription drug database.

As the News Service of Florida reports, bill sponsor and committee Chairman Aaron Bean said requiring investigators to get a court order to access the database will protect the privacy of patients. Law enforcement officials objected that the process will warn suspects of an investigation before they can be apprehended.

The proposal includes a way to pay for the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which has had no reliable funding source: using extra funds from pharmacists’ licensure fees. There’s no companion bill in the Florida House. 

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.