Sixty physicians and physician assistants with at least two patients who have died of prescription painkiller overdoses in the past year are now under investigation by the North Carolina Medical Board, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
The probe is part of an effort to crack down on reckless prescribing and help reduce overdose-related deaths, according to the report. However, the medical board told the Winston-Salem Journal not all cases show a direct connection between prescribing practices and deaths. Regulators also plan to examine the overall quality of care patients receive, according to the report.
An additional 12 physicians and physician assistants who write a high-volume of opioid prescriptions will be under investigation, according to the report.
The board has investigated more than 7,000 cases from 2013 to 2015 and found prescribing practices to be the primary problem in just 5 percent of cases, according to the report. The state plans to take an even more aggressive approach in the future as part of its "Safe Opioid Prescribing Initiative" and up the number of investigations, according to the report.
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