New program to take aim at prescription drug abusers

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20140301/NEWS12/140309929

From the article:

The state’s new prescription monitoring program – intended to prevent substance abusers from shopping for doctors and controlled drugs – is expected to be up and running July 1.

The Legislature approved the program in 2012, but it was not funded with state money. Instead, the Board of Pharmacy, which oversees the program, applied for a federal grant.
At Friday’s Executive Council meeting, councilors voted to accept a $368,871 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and to establish a program director’s position and extend a part-time administrator’s position to run the monitoring program.

TWO YEARS.. to get a program up and running… that has been running in other states for decades? Did they have to re-invent the wheel ? 1.5 FTE’s and over a 1/3 million to operate the system ? This is in New Hampshire, a state  with a population of only 1.3 million… that is abt $0.30/yr per person in the state to operate this system ???? Wouldn’t this money be better spent .. helping those people with mental health issues.. that are abusing some substance(s) ?  Turning those people who abuse some substance(s) into criminals just adds costs to our system.

Board of Pharmacy Vice Chairman Bob Stout said current law allows a pharmacist to use his or her best judgment in refusing to fill a prescription.He said the system will provide additional information that allows the pharmacist to use in deciding whether to fill a prescription.

Once again… bureaucrats are not in touch with what is going on in/around pharmacy today.. concerning discrimination of pt’s civil rights and violating the ADA .. when a Pharmacist lets his/her biases adversely influence their “professional discretion ”

http://www.wlns.com/story/24635348/rite-aid-settles-after-refusing-flu-shot-to-hiv-positive-man

When the system is running, she said, people with potential prescription problems could be spotted before they are addicted.

Do you think.. by the time that they show up on the PMP going to multiple docs/pharmacies … they are not yet addicted?

Filed under: General Problems