Arkansas doctors prescribe painkillers at one of the highest rates in the country, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month. The report recommends states take steps to reduce prescriptions for patients who solicit multiple physicians for painkillers.
According to the CDC, in Arkansas 116 prescriptions for painkiller pills were written per 100 residents during 2012. Seven other states have higher prescription rates for painkillers. Tennessee and Alabama tied for the highest rate of 143 prescriptions per 100 residents. Hawaii had the lowest rate of 52 prescriptions per 100 residents.
Painkillers prescribed by doctors include opioids such as codeine, morphine and oxycodone. It also includes Benzodiazepine sedatives such as Xanax and Valiums.
“Data suggest that where health care providers practice influence how they prescribe,” the report states. “Higher prescribing of painkillers is associated with more overdose deaths.”
Arkansas Department of Health Director Nate Smith previously said that nearly 400 people in the state died from prescription-drug overdoses in 2010. CDC data shows there are 13.1 deaths from prescription drugs in the state for every 100,000 residents.
Arkansas Drug Director Fran Flenercq TM said the prescription drug problem has many facets.
“It is a many, many sided issue,” Flener said. “Everyone across the state and in the nation is grappling with how do we provide adequate care for people. “
Awareness is one solution to the problem, Flener said.
“If everyone is aware of the potential for aversion then thanwe all become part of the solution,” Flener said.
Policy changes that restrict the way painkillers are prescribed by doctors can reduce harm associated with the drugs, the CDC report states. The report suggests that states state’sconsider ways to increase the use of drug-monitoring programs, including making data available in real-time. It also recommends that providers be mandated to use the program. Physicians would then know if a patient has visited multiple doctors for the same drug.
The Arkansas Prescription Monitoring Program was implemented in March 2013, said Denise Robertsoncq TM, program administrator. She said CDC data don’t reflect the results of Arkansas’ new program.
PharmacistPharmacists are required to upload data regarding painkillers into the electronic-monitoring program, Robertson said. The data can then be viewed by doctors and other pharmacists. pharmacist.Doctors are not required to upload data. Doctors and pharmacists are also not required to check the program before prescribing or dispensing painkillers.
New York started requiring prescribers, primarily doctors, to check the state’s monitoring program before prescribing painkillers in 2012, according to the CDC report. According to the report, the state saw a 75 percent drop in patients who were seeing multiple prescribers after the requirement. New York prescribes 60 painkillers per 100 people, according to the report.
Tennessee also started requiring prescribers to check the prescription drug-monitoring program in 2012 and saw a 36 percent drop in patients seeking multiple prescribers, according to the CDC report.
“Arkansas doesn’t have a mandated use of it,” Robertson said. “We are just trying to get more and more people signed up.”
There are 4,600 registered users on the program, Robertson said. She said users are doctors and pharmacists. There have been 600,000 reports generated by Arkansas users to monitor their patient’s prescription drug use, Robertson said.
“Users can look in their system and immediately look for duplicate patients,” Robertson said. “Did this patient just fill this at another pharmacy a week ago? There could be multiple doctors prescribing the same medication.”
Arkansas’ system also links to other states, including Louisiana, Kansas, Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico and South Carolina, Robertson said. She said some states have laws that restrict them from sharing the information with other states.
PharmacistPharmacists must upload the data once per a week in Arkansas, Robertson said. She said some states upload three times per a week, and a few states have started real-time programs.
“The technology really is not there to do it daily yet,” Robertson said.
Robertson said that if technology advances it would be good for the state. However,She said that there would also need to be permanent funding. Currently the monitoring program is running off grants, she said.