Wake up, America. The prescription drug abuse epidemic is taking the lives of people way too quickly. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014 there were over 25,000 deaths caused prescription drugs overdoses. Prescription drug abusers have easy access to their pills because:
1. Overprescribing by their doctors
2. Prescriptions on paper can easily be forged
Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia have already enforced Prescription Monitoring Programs (PMPs), which collect, monitor and analyze electronically transmitted prescribing and dispensing data submitted by pharmacies and dispensing practitioners.
Who else monitors the dispensing of these prescriptions other than the PMP? Great question! This brings me to my next point. There have been thousands of cases nationwide of licensed providers and staff members at medical institutions who have been arrested for the unlawful distribution of narcotics.
Electronic prescribing software paired with PMPs can help eliminate both of the above issues. First, electronic prescriptions are tracked to reduce the number of fraudulent or stolen prescriptions to combat prescription drug abuse nationwide.
In RXNT|eRx, doctors can check the date that a patient's prescription was filled and by who, in any state. Eliminating paper prescriptions will greatly curb the high number of prescription fraud because it is more difficult to create a prescription. RXNT is one of the only vendors that is DEA certified to allow the electronic transmission of controlled substances. Secondly, e-Prescribing monitors which prescriptions are transmitted per user. This will reduce the number of fraudulent prescriptions that are written for illegal distribution.
To learn more about the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, visit the PMP FAQ or call RXNT at 1-800-943-7968 Option 3 or email us at [email protected].
