HHS has launched a pilot program (PDF) in Indiana and Ohio that will give existing prescription drug-use data to providers and pharmacists as part of an effort to reduce prescription-drug abuse.
The goal is to measure the effects of expanding and improving prescription-drug monitoring programs, according to an HHS news release.
The pilot project in Indiana will aim to demonstrate how emergency department staff can receive a patient's controlled-substance prescription directly through the Regenstrief Medical Record System, a care-management system developed by the Regenstrief Institute and used by fellow pilot participant Wishard Health Services, Indianapolis. Other participants in that project are HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, technology company Appriss and the state of Indiana.
The Ohio pilot project will test the impact—in particular as it relates to clinical decisions—of having a drug-risk indicator in an electronic health record. Collaborating on the Ohio project are the Springfield (Ohio) Center for Family Medicine; Eagle Software Corp., which offers software for tracking drug use; the state of Ohio; and not-for-profit engineering company Mitre Corp.
UPDATE: 11:45 a.m. Friday American Medical Association President-elect Dr. Ardis Hoven lauded the effort in an AMA statement. “When properly constructed and operated, prescription drug-monitoring programs can be a key tool for physicians to use in combating prescription drug abuse while ensuring patients get the treatment they need for pain and suffering," Hoven said. "The AMA has advocated for PDMP data to be available to physicians at the point of care as part of their normal workflow and is pleased to see the administration making strides toward this goal through the creation of new pilot programs.”
Send us a letter
Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.
