Government
Rx monitoring bill passes House
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 18, 2004
The House recently passed a bill that would provide grants to states to set up prescription drug monitoring programs designed to cut down on the illegal diversion of schedule II, III and IV controlled substances.
As of 2002, 15 states already had monitoring programs. The Government Accountability Office has found them to be effective in reducing "doctor shopping," because the programs allow physicians to check patients' prescription histories.
Kentucky has seen its program curb a burgeoning epidemic of OxyContin abuse, said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Ed Whitfield (R, Ky.). But that success has been marred by a subsequent increase in abuse of the drug in adjacent states, he said.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/10/18/gvbf1018.htm.