Rep. Kennedy Introduces Legislation to Protect Patients from Potentially Deadly Prescribing Errors

Washington, D.C. - Representative Mike Kennedy (UT-03) introduced the Safe Prescribing Through Reporting Act of 2025. This legislation aims to provide doctors with crucial health information when prescribing to patients who are taking medications to treat substance abuse disorder (e.g. Methadone). Currently under federal law, substance abuse clinics do not report to PDMPs. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to enhance transparency and patient safety by allowing substance abuse disorder medications to be reported in the state's PDMP when authorized by state law.

This legislation is the result of concerns shared by Utah physicians that they are not always aware that a patient has been prescribed a substance abuse medication and if they prescribe a medication to treat a different condition that adversely reacts it can have deadly consequences.

States implemented PDMPs so that when any patient asks a prescriber for a controlled substance, that prescriber can look in the PDMP, and see all of the other recent controlled substances that the patient has filled, so as to avoid giving medications that are very dangerous in combination, and to avoid making things worse for a patient who has troubles with addiction. These databases are a very important safeguard to prevent substance abuse and avoid hurting patients.

"This legislation strikes a thoughtful balance between protecting patient privacy and equipping healthcare providers with the tools they need to prevent medication misuse and adverse reactions," said Representative Kennedy. "By aligning federal law with state monitoring programs, we can ensure providers have the full record when making prescribing decisions for substance abuse disorder patients."

The Utah Academy of Family Physicians strongly supports this legislation. Click here to read their letter of support.