The Right Access to the Right Technology Can Help Solve Opioid Abuse in New York
By Steve Marchbank, MD Vice President – Strategic Product Solutions for DrFirst
Addressing the nation’s opioid crisis is no simple task. It’s a multi-factorial problem that must include multi-pronged solutions—including cooperation and collaboration among the medical and pharmacy communities, government, social programs, and regulatory agencies.
Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are one way that states are working with doctors to keep them informed about their patients’ opioid prescribing histories, especially as related to coordination of care with other providers. As of July 1st, Maryland and Florida joined 40 other states including New York that now require prescribers to check PDMP databases before prescribing opioids. In addition, there are now 26 states that allow their PDMP databases to be integrated into the e-prescribing workflow (see infographic).
Both of these developments represent progress in the fight against the opioid crisis. Prescribers’ use of PDMP data may have contributed to the 22 percent decrease in opioid prescribing recently reported by the American Medical Association (AMA).
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