Here are four things to know about the lowered prescription rate.
1. In August 2016 Pennsylvania instituted a prescription drug monitoring program, which requires physicians check patient drug histories on the database before prescribing any opioids.
2. Since the program’s implementation, the number of patients getting prescriptions from five or more physicians has decreased by 86 percent.
3. The system receives over 53,000 physician inquiries each day.
4. In 2016, 4,642 Pennsylvania residents died from drug overdoses, up 37 percent from the previous year.
More articles on opioids:
Harvard to livestream opioid epidemic conversation with Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams
Baltimore County to file opioid epidemic lawsuit against drugmakers, distributors
Increased opioid prescriptions linked to higher foster care rates in Florida
