The commonwealth launched a prescription drug monitoring program called Achieving Better Care by Monitoring All Prescriptions that went into effect Thursday. The PDMP includes a database that tracks patients’ controlled substance prescription history. By reviewing this history before prescribing controlled substances, providers can identify patients who may be struggling with substance use disorder.
Scott Shapiro, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, is optimistic about the potential for the program to effectively curb drug use and abuse. “We’re going to identify patients we didn’t know have addiction problems,” Dr. Shapiro told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
In 2015, there were 3,383 drug overdose deaths in Pennsylvania, a 23 percent increase from 2014, according to the report.
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