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Data analysis could help curb Rx drug abuse
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 22, 2012
Prescription drug monitoring programs should be more proactive about analyzing the data that are collected and sharing it with physicians, pharmacists, insurers and law enforcement, according to a study conducted by the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Center for Excellence at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management in Waltham, Mass.
The 100-page report said sending alerts to physicians and pharmacists about possible abuses was tied to lower prescription sales and doctor-shopping rates. The report also found that states that collect prescribing data for all controlled substances reported lower rates of doctor-shopping than other states. Analyzing trend data helped law enforcement agencies identify so-called pill mills that were illicitly distributing prescription painkillers.
The research was funded by the Pew Health Group, a division of the Pew Charitable Trust.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/10/22/bibf1022.htm.