Enhancement to the controlled substances reporting system

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 (PDMP). Prescription drug monitoring programs enhance the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials 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.

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program assists states as they plan, implement, or enhance a PDMP. PDMPs: build a state-level data collection and analysis system to enhance the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials for future prevention efforts; enhance existing programs' abilities to analyze and use collected data to identify drug abuse trends and increase the number of users of the PDMP; facilitate national evaluation efforts to ensure continued support; encourage the exchange of information among states to prevent cross-border diversion; assess the efficiency and effectiveness of programs to ensure continued state-level support; and, enhance collaborations with law enforcement, prosecutors, treatment professionals, the medical community, and pharmacies to establish a comprehensive PDMP strategy.

The North Carolina Controlled Substances Reporting System (CSRS) is the state's Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) enacted by the North Carolina Controlled Substances Act of 2005. The CSRS is intended to improve the state's ability to identify controlled substance abusers or misusers and refer them for treatment and, identify and stop diversion of prescription drugs in an efficient and cost-effective manner. All prescriptions dispensed in an outpatient setting are reported twice monthly to the system. Dispensers and practitioners authorized to prescribe can access the information on-line. In addition, information is made available upon request and pursuant to an existing bona fide specific investigation to the State Bureau of Investigation, licensing boards with oversight over health care professionals, other State monitoring authorities, and the Division of Medical Assistance. The CSRS, which went live in July of 2007 records approximately 16 million prescriptions per year. Under the 2009 PDMP grant the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Drug Control Unit proposes to: (1) increase the percentage of prescribers and dispensers using the program and modify the program to better meet their needs; (2) initiate unsolicited reporting by alerting physicians when a patient's total number of prescriptions exceed a pre-established threshold; (3) develop a research component to assist other agencies in analyzing trends and patterns to reduce prescription misuse and to reduce the 800 deaths occurring each year from prescription drug diversion and abuse; (4) provide enhanced software features; (5) conduct the preparation to initiate point of sale (real time) reporting in the future; (6) join in the exchange PMP data with other states; and, (7) conduct an evaluation of the impact of the CSRS in North Carolina. Specific actions will include adding software enhancements and upgrades, holding physician educational outreach meetings throughout the state, developing informational materials to increase registered users of the system, adding a data analyst to implement and operate the enhancements, engaging consultants in program operation, program evaluation, and customer satisfaction, and providing the necessary supplies, equipment and travel resources to accomplish these goals.

CA/NCF