Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2007, $400,000)
Since the beginning of FY 2002, Congress has appropriated funding to the U.S. Department of Justice to support the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Prescription drug monitoring programs enhance the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data through 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 drug monitoring programs allows for the early detection of abuse trends and possible sources of diversion.
The California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) will use the FY 2007 Prescription Drug Monitoring Program award to improve the availability and accessibility of controlled substance prescription history data. Prescription data will go from a monthly transmission to weekly, which will provide pharmacists and practitioners with more up-to-date data during emergency situations. The grantee will conduct a study which will analyze the procedures, costs, and benefits necessary to implement real time reporting of controlled substances in the operation of the state's Controlled Substance Utilization and Evaluation System (CURES). This study will address the complete data loop from inputting, receiving and accessing of the CURES data and provide a comprehensive outline detailing the framework of bringing the data collection service in-house to ensure the instantaneous reporting information to all clients. This endeavor affords the opportunity to place a measurable amount of control over variations that occur with third party vendors, such as increased or fluctuating costs associated with the frequency or volume of data collected.
Grant funds will be used to: fund two new programmer analysts who will design the architectural configuration/framework of collecting the data in-house and provide maintenance and help desk support to users; continue the educational outreach to prescribers and law enforcement agencies through course study in an effort to increase awareness of CURES and its use; and, hire a consultant who will assist with the implementation of the enhanced system which will improve the medical community's ability to provide improved patient care.
CA/NCF