The state will commit up to $1.5 million to upgrade a prescription drug monitoring system so that pharmacies across the state will be more able to check for possible opioid addiction issues and abuse.
The money will be used to improve the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System so that pharmacies will be able to more quickly check patient electronic medical records and opiate prescription histories. The instant checking system is expected to bolster use of the data base.
“OARRS provides a wealth of information to help pharmacists and prescribers make informed decisions about the health and safety of their patients, including identifying patients exhibiting high-risk behaviors,” said Steven Schierholt, the executive director of the Ohio Pharmacy Board.
The system, created in 2006, tracks information about patients’ controlled-substance prescription history. Pharmacies and drug prescribers are required by law to report data about the controlled substances.
The state is closely monitoring opioid use, in particular, because abuse of the highly addictive prescription painkillers has been identified as one link to heroin addiction.
Between new prescribing guidelines for chronic pain implemented in October 2013 and efforts to bolster use of OARRS, the number of prescriber and pharmacist queries using the data system increased from 778,000 in 2010 to 9.3 million in 2014.
Last year the number of prescription opiates dispensed to Ohio patients decreased by more than 40 million doses, Dr. Mary DiOrio, the state’s medical director, said Monday.
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