¶ … National prescription drug database slowly becoming reality

Journal: Government Technology

Online at: http://www.govtech.com/e-government/National-Prescription-Drug-Database-Slowly-Becoming.html

One problem for law enforcement is the lack of a consistent medical and legal bookkeeping strategy for individuals being prescribed addictive prescription painkillers. Prescription drug addicts will often go from doctor to doctor, crossing state lines to get their 'fix' and often succeed in persuading unsuspecting doctors to give them more opiates. The 2005 National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting allocated $50 million to states to create a program that will allow doctors interstate access to patient records, to make sure that the patient is not 'doctor swapping.' Although the program is still under-funded, and many states, including Vermont, are not actively participating in the program, it is hoped it will cut down on the number of patients using doctors to provide them with their 'fix.'

Author's Points: A coherent system across all 50 states is required for doctors to have the security of knowing that they have a full and complete picture of a patient's medical history before prescribing a potentially addictive opiate painkiller. Knowledge of the program's existence within a state can also hopefully act as a deterrent for an addicted 'doctor-shopper.'

Article Relevance: Doctors are growing increasingly cautious about prescribing pain medication. This is unfortunate, given the fact that not treating pain can be equally dangerous as over-treating pain. States' lack of sharing of information in the name of state's rights and patient privacy is interfering with doctors' abilities to provide appropriate care. Currently, 41 states have used federal funding to monitor and share information about the use of prescription drugs across state lines. Doctors in non-participating states, however, can still use other states' data about patients when making decisions about prescribing drugs. Doctors all states should consult records if they have any question about a patient's honesty: this can either flag a potential addict, or set their mind at ease when they write a prescription for a patient who says that he or she is in pain.