Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2006, $373,659)
In Fiscal Year 2006, Congress appropriated $7,500,000 to the U.S. Department of Justice to support the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Prescription monitoring programs are systems where controlled substance dispensing data is submitted to a centralized database administered by an authorized state agency. These programs are designed to help prevent and detect the diversion and abuse of pharmaceutical controlled substances, particularly at the retail level where no other automated information collection system exists.
States that have implemented prescription drug monitoring programs have the capability of collecting and analyzing prescription data much more efficiently than states without such programs, where the collection of prescription information requires the manual review of pharmacy files which is a very time consuming and invasive process. The increased efficiency of prescription monitoring programs allows for the early detection of abuse trends and possible sources of diversion. The analysis of collected data also allows for the identification of outmoded prescribing practices, such as the undertreatment of pain, which may result in the development of educational programs for medical professionals.
The State of Indiana, Indiana Health Professions Bureau (HPB) maintains a statewide prescription drug monitoring program, the Indiana Scheduled Prescription Electronic Collection and Tracking program (INSPECT). The INSPECT program is a web-based system which allows law enforcement officers to submit and view patient and practitioner prescription profile requests; receive and submit alerts regarding suspects, suspicious activity or other violations and allows pharmacies to upload prescription data directly into the secure, encrypted website. The HBP will utilize FY 2006 Prescription Drug Monitoring Program funds to continue enhancing the INSPECT program by providing service to a larger population base throughout the state by outsourcing the collection and analysis of data, establishing a faster electronic system for processing requests, and increasing the reporting requirements of prescription dispensing healthcare professionals.
CA/NCF