Health Care & Insurance  November 14, 2014

Prescription monitoring program may be just what doctor ordered

Docs and pharmacies will be alerted to ‘prescription shoppers’

Hayes Veeneman’s son, Ethan, 39, died two years ago from a morphine overdose.

That’s why Veeneman, of Colorado Springs, thinks the state of Colorado’s new Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is so important.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Solar Operations and Maintenance for Commercial Properties

One key qualification to consider when selecting a solar partner to install your system is whether they have an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) or service department. Since solar is a long-term asset with an expected lifecycle of 30 plus years, ongoing O&M should be considered up front. A trusted O&M partner will maximize your system’s energy output and therefor the return on your investment.

Last month, the state sent the first round of notifications to 600 prescribers and pharmacies, notifying them of possible opiate over-prescribing by drug users.

“It’s such a vital, absolutely unbelievable tool if it’s used properly,” said Veeneman, 66.

The program aims to identify patients who see a variety of doctors to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances, such as opioids and sedatives, using a database that collects such information. In October, the state used the database to alert 600 prescribers and pharmacies statewide that a patient they treated obtained dangerous amounts of drugs from multiple prescribers and pharmacies. The database was established in 2005, but House Bill 1283 this year authorized the state to notify doctors and pharmacies.

Colorado is one of 27 states that send notifications to physicians and pharmacists, and it appears to have helped stem prescription-drug abuse in some states. New York’s program, for example, has reduced doctor-shopping by 75 percent, according to a 2013 report by Brandeis University.

Here’s how it works: A database sends an automatic alert to prescribers and pharmacists when a patient has visited a certain number of pharmacies to obtain a certain amount of drugs. Regulators declined to disclose what those trigger points are in an effort to prevent potential drug abusers from knowing the details of the state’s monitoring efforts.

Pharmacists and doctors, who are required to register for the program by Nov. 30, are then supposed to use their clinical judgment and discretion in determining how to respond.

“There are circumstances in which it may be appropriate for a patient to visit multiple prescribers and multiple pharmacies,” said Cory Everett, senior advisor to the Department of Regulatory Agencies.

“There are circumstances where it’s not, and it may be doctor-shopping, but it’s really up to the practitioner to make that determination,” she added.

The program has sought to curb opioid overdose deaths in Colorado. In 2012, 295 people died from prescription-drug overdoses, more than twice the 133 people who died from drunken driving-related crashes. The number of deaths from opioids such as morphine, codeine and fentanyl have more than tripled from 87 in 2000.

The Colorado Pharmacists Society, a Denver-based trade group, supports the database and the state’s efforts to notify pharmacies of potential prescription drug abuse.

“It allows pharmacists to determine if there is indeed a problem with a prescription,” said Val Kalnins, executive director of the group.

The Department of Regulatory Agencies, the state agency that oversees the program, does not release the names of patients, prescribers or pharmacies that receive notifications, making it difficult to publicly identify where doctor-shopping has taken place, although the practice safeguards privacy.

“I think they’ve done a very good job of addressing (privacy concerns),” Kalnins said. “That was one of the issues that was brought up repeatedly during the legislative process. Many safeguards and extensive discussion surrounding the bill were all focused on privacy and making sure that there would not be any breaches.”

Kalnins pointed out that pharmacists face fines up to $1,000 to $10,000 if they release confidential information about patients.

The program appears to have identified several questionable patients. In one instance, a patient obtained prescriptions from 11 prescribers and 10 pharmacies within a month. Another person obtained more than 1,600 pills of oxycodone and hydrocodone, forms of opioids, from several prescribers and pharmacies in a month.

Veeneman thinks the program could go further by prosecuting people who sell the drugs on the street or requiring pharmacists and doctors to inform someone, such as Veeneman, who could then have attempted to help his son.

“They can get those individuals headed in the right direction to get them the help they need, and then those individuals don’t die,” Veeneman said. “That’s where we have to strive to get to with this whole thing.”

Steve Lynn can be reached at 970-232-3147, 303-630-1968 or slynn@bizwestmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SteveLynnBW.

Docs and pharmacies will be alerted to ‘prescription shoppers’

Hayes Veeneman’s son, Ethan, 39, died two years ago from a morphine overdose.

That’s why Veeneman, of Colorado Springs, thinks the state of Colorado’s new Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is so important.

Last month, the state sent the first round of notifications to 600 prescribers and pharmacies, notifying them of possible opiate over-prescribing by drug users.

“It’s such a vital, absolutely unbelievable tool if it’s used properly,” said Veeneman, 66.

The program aims to identify patients who see a variety of doctors to obtain…

Sign up for BizWest Daily Alerts