Enhancement of Kentucky''s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program KASPER (Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting).

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 Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) system is the state's Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) authorized by the Kentucky Controlled Substances Act. This system is designed to identify potential controlled substance prescription drug abusers, doctor shoppers, and diverters. KASPER provides health care providers with a tool they can use to identify and intervene with patients who are addicted to or abusing controlled substances before they become drug diverters, and serves as a tool for law enforcement to aid in investigations of doctor shoppers, drug diverting patients, and providers. KASPER data is made available to authorized users including health care practitioners, pharmacists,law enforcement officers (for a bona fide drug investigation), licensing boards, the Medicaid Program, grand jury (by subpoena), and judges, probation, and parole officers administering a drug diversion or probation program.

The State of Kentucky continues to make significant progress with integrating KASPER into standard treatment and investigative processes for health care providers and law enforcement respectively, but much work remains to be done. Under the 2008 PDMP grant, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (hereafter Cabinet) proposes the following: (1) increase KASPER usage by health care and law enforcement; (2) expand the analysis of KASPER data; and, (3) exchange PMP data with other states.

Currently, the web-based KASPER system has over 5,300 users ' the number of users is growing approximately 2.7% per month. The 2008 grant funds will assist the state in increasing KASPER usage by at least 10% annually. To achieve these goals, the Cabinet proposes to conduct training sessions for health care providers and law enforcement, and to maintain a significant KASPER presence at law enforcement and health care conferences, trade shows, and events. The grant funds will cover personnel and fringe benefits, travel costs for BJA and PMP related conferences, KASPER promotional materials to be distributed at trade shows and conferences, consultant services for project management, and design and development of interfaces (exchange of PMP data with other states).

CA/NCF