By Regan McCarthy
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-997546.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – The state rolled out its Prescription Drug Monitoring Program just two months ago. It's designed to catch people who move from doctor to doctor collecting pain pill prescriptions and Regan McCarthy reports Department of Health Officials are already calling the program a success, but some officials and state legislators would like to see the database extend across state lines.
The state's prescription drug monitoring program gives pharmacists and doctors a way to keep tabs on patients who might be abusing prescription medications. So far Florida Surgeon General Frank Farmer says it's working.
"We've seen a reduction in the number of controlled substances that are being sent out on the streets here in the state of Florida. We certainly have seen a number of reductions of controlled substances that are coming into the state legitimately to pharmacists. So I think that that will continue. The big thing is that when you have 7 to 8 deaths a day from prescription drug abuse you want to see that number go down."
Here's how the program works: when a pharmacist fills a prescription for a controlled substance, like Vicodin, the pharmacist enters that information into a state-wide database. Then when doctors are writing prescriptions, or pharmacists are filling other prescriptions, they can have access to that information. Farmer says the idea is that they'd think twice about giving a person who has recently received a controlled substance an unwarranted second dose. Often those people are guilty of what's called doctor shopping, or going from doctor to doctor to collect multiple pain medication prescriptions.
"That's the prudent thing to do. If you're filling a prescription or if a doctor is writing a prescription for a patient that he may not be familiar with I think it's very prudent to go on that system and to check that to make sure that this person is not doctor shopping."
Law enforcement officers can also use the database for active investigations. Farmer says since the program's launch in October the number of participants is growing fast. He says 34-thousand doctors or pharmacists used the database to check- up on patients the first month. That's compared to 71-thousand in November. But the number of people taking prescriptions from Florida doctors to have them filled across state lines is also growing. Officials say they'd like to see legislation that would allow doctors and pharmacists to share information across Florida's border. Senator Mike Fasano who was instrumental in the creation of the current program says that's legislation he would support.
"The vast majority of states have a prescription drug monitoring program. Florida unfortunately lagged behind. But now we're right with them and working with them. To be able to share that information with other states and have those states share their information truly will put a stop to the doctor shopping, put a stop to those coming from one state to another to try to get their prescriptions filled, especially those that are unscrupulous characters.
The program has been a long time coming and has seen its share of bumps along the way. Fasano points out that the legislature created the program in 2009, and he says really legislators have really been working on it for the last 12 years. Then when the program was set to launch last year a lawsuit from companies hoping to run the program got in the way. And Florida governor Rick Scott raised concerns about the database.
"As you know some of the people here with me disagree about the PDMD data base. But my biggest concern is privacy."
Farmer says he understands why the governor might have been concerned, but says the privacy of Floridians in the database is protected.
"Everyone wants their medical records to be protected; no one wants their medical record to be held out to the public. And that was certainly a concern by Governor Scott at the beginning. Now, this particular company has demonstrated that they have many safe guards in safe. There's never been a breech with this company, I think they're in 22 other states that they've set up the database, there's never been a breech in all the years that they've operated."
Farmer says anyone accessing the database for a reason that doesn't directly relate to a patient they're serving could be arrested for a first degree misdemeanor. Scott also tried to kill the law by including it in the items he wanted to slash from the state's budget last session even though the program doesn't receive state funding a spokesman for Scott says he wanted to make sure taxpayers never would be on the hook for it. The strongest blow Scott dealt against the program was to get rid of the Office of Drug Control, which was charged with finding funding for the database. Since then the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Foundation has been set up to find funding for the program . Dave Bowen is the volunteer chairman of the foundation. He says so far they're getting the money they need.
"There's a lot of interested parties in the state of Florida who know this is an epidemic problem that want to participate. So you have companies that provide technology to the pharmacies and physicians that dispense medications such as ours. There's the urine toxicology testing companies trying to find the bad actors, not taking their medications or taking too much of them. And We're also looking to the physician community as well as the pharmacist community to try to get them to participate in this."
Farmer says the program is financially stable and will continue, but he says as the program proves its value he doesn't think it would be far-fetched to approach the legislature in the future for funding.