Panel: Quashing Prescription Drug Abuse Demands Community Effort
http://www.aafp.org/news/practice-professional-issues/20141202statelegopioids.html
In the past four years, several states have proceeded quickly to require use of a state-operated prescription monitoring program (PMP). These online databases, which can track all of the controlled substances that are prescribed to a patient and provide the prescriber’s name and the dispensing pharmacy, are intended to warn physicians about possible diversion of a prescription drug. In New York, for example, medical professionals are required to check the database for every prescription they write.
But that wasn’t always the case, according to Marty Allain, J.D., director of Indiana’s PMP, which is known as INSPECT.
“There was no PMP mandate prior to 2010 other than (in) Nevada,” said Allain, who also is NARxCHECK senior manager for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. “Representatives and senators at the state level said, ‘We have to do something.'”
Now, all states have a PMP except Missouri, where state lawmakers have yet to pass legislation that would create a database, Allain told conference participants. He also pointed out that before 2011, states were not sharing their PMP data, which made it harder for physicians, law enforcement and other health care professionals to track prescriptions across state lines.
“It wasn’t even on the radar screen in 2005, and now governments are sharing information,” Allain said. Twenty-seven states share PMP data, and he expects 30 will be doing so by the end of 2015. Still, he noted, usage of the database among prescribers remains low. For every 10 prescriptions that are written in Indiana, the database is only checked once.
“I think it’s because the provider doesn’t have time to access the site,” Allain said.
Yet despite the low participation rate, Indiana has reported a 20 percent decrease in patients who had a high volume of prescriptions. And in New York, the number of individuals who obtained a prescription for a controlled substance has decreased by 9.5 percent.
Indiana has a “ton” of WAGS and CVS’s… there is media story after media story about legit pts in Indiana being denied their Rxs for controls being filled.. it would appear that the state is taking “credit” for this… This is the same state that a few years ago the PMP (INSPECT) requested to be able to cross reference the driver’s licenses in INSPECT against the state’s BMV’s database.. to see how many fake/bogus driver’s licenses had been accepted by Pharmacists and entered into the PMP database. AND the BMV denied the request and the AG’s office backed them up…something about invasion of privacy …
How can so many supposedly intelligent individuals be so frigging DUMB ! FIFTY YEARS ago… the Surgeon General declared tobacco products cause health problems and while the per-cent of the population that use tobacco products.. the total number of people that currently use tobacco products is not that much different..
We tried making alcohol illegal with the 18th Amendment and that lasted 12-14 yrs.. maybe the politicians had a hard time getting their booze …
We are seeing Heroin use/abuse/death going thru the roof.. I have seen quoted numbers of 500-600% increases..
The diverters are the ones we need to worry about… and until we are able to validate the ID of the person presenting the Rx or requesting a Rx from a prescriber… NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE.. except maybe the use/abuse/deaths from Heroin …
Filed under: General Problems
Here recently as everyone in the family has gotten license renewals, I’ve noticed more ‘little additions’ to the license to try and keep ahead of the forgers, so somebody must know something.
Because the BMV here knows there are a fair number of Dr Lic aren’t valid and they don’t want to take the time to investigate mostly likely because those fake licenses are being used by the many illegals we have in this state. they dont want to open that can of worms with the feds for profiling..For readers on here, my former SIL works at the state ABC (alcohol beverage commission) where one gets a bartenders license, she says its not unusual for several names to pop up with a drivers license number and a social security number when processsing applicants. Many of the names are not American. Her agency notified the BMV also and got the same answer, not interested.
If it became common knowledge that the BMV’s driver’s license format can be forged/faked.. they would have to revise the entire driver’s license system..which would mean that $$$ would have to be spent… and besides.. having all those fake ID’s just helps the diverters to get legal drugs to the street and keeps all those in the judicial system employed..