SHARING OF INFORMATION WITH STATE PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROGRAMS.

SEC. 715. SHARING OF INFORMATION WITH STATE PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROGRAMS. (a) In General.—Section 1074g of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as subsections (h) and (i), respectively; and (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new subsection (g): “(g) Sharing of Information With State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall establish and maintain a program (to be known as the ‘Military Health System Prescription Drug Monitoring Program’) in accordance with this subsection. The program shall include a special emphasis on drugs provided through facilities of the uniformed services. “(2) The program shall be— “(A) comparable to prescription drug monitoring programs operated by States, including such programs approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 399O of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g-3); and “(B) applicable to designated controlled substance prescriptions under the pharmacy benefits program. “(3)(A) The Secretary shall establish appropriate procedures for the bi-directional sharing of patient-specific information regarding prescriptions for designated controlled substances between the program and State prescription drug monitoring programs. “(B) The purpose of sharing of information under this paragraph shall be to prevent misuse and diversion of opioid medications and other designated controlled substances. “(C) Any disclosure of patient-specific information by the Secretary under this paragraph is an authorized disclosure for purposes of the health information privacy regulations promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-191). “(4)(A) Any procedures developed pursuant to paragraph (3)(A) shall include appropriate safeguards, as determined by the Secretary, concerning cyber security of Department of Defense systems and operational security of Department personnel. “(B) To the extent the Secretary considers appropriate, the program may be treated as comparable to a State program for purposes of bi-directional sharing of controlled substance prescription information. “(5) For purposes of this subsection, any reference to a program operated by a State includes any program operated by a county, municipality, or other subdivision within that State.” . (b) Conforming Amendment.—Section 1079(q) of such title is amended by striking “section 1074g(g)” and inserting “section 1074g(h)”.