Prescription Drug Abuse in Tennessee
July 2, 2008 – 1:00 amTennessee has the higest per capita rate of prescription drug abuse in the nation. (How embarrassing!)
As I see it, there are three major causes:
-
many physicians over-prescribe narcotics and benzos
-
patients lie to and manipulate physicians
-
Tenncare (Medicaid) provided to much free prescription coverage
What’s being done to solve this crisis?
Tenncare has reigned-in it’s prescription coverage by limiting enrollees to five prescriptions per month.
Tennessee now requires physicians to complete CME that addresses guidelines for appropriate prescribing habits.
Tennessee has created an online database that tracks all prescriptions for scheduled medications. Physicians can access this information about their patients at the point-of-care.
What needs to be done?
Physicians need to familiarize themselves with DEA documentation and prescribing guidelines and follow them.
Physicians need to re-educate their patients as to what is appropriate and what is inappropriate use of controlled substances. Physicians need to say no to and cut ties with patients who are caught abusing drugs or who are obviously drug seeking. (i.e. set firm boundaries)
Physicians need to utilize Tennessee’s online prescription monitoring database. (I’ve caught several patients lying to me by using this database and I’ve promptly confronted and dismissed them from my practice)
Physicians should drug test patients on chronic narcotic medications with appropriate frequency.
2 Responses to “Prescription Drug Abuse in Tennessee”
While all these official handlings are fine should be instituted, it does nothing to resolve the problem form the user/abuser end of the chain. We all know that where there is a will, there is a way. What is needed in addiction to the above is a workable approach to handling the underlying issues of abuse and addiction as they occur on an individual level. A new booklet is free for the asking from http://www.stopaddiction.com called “Guide to Addiction Recovery for a Lifetime which is a good introduction to understanding abuse and addiction from the user end.
By kayakotto on Jul 3, 2008
Founded by the Tennessee Medical Association through a grant from The Physicians Foundation for Health System Excellence, the Tennessee Prescription Safety Program (PSP) is working to curtail prescription drug abuse throughout Tennessee. The program consists of two major components. The first, conducting online CME seminars on proper prescribing practices for schedule II narcotics. The course satisfies requirements by the Tennessee Board of Medicine.
PSP is also offering access to technology that will give prescribers and pharmacies instantaneous information regarding the appropriateness and legitimacy of schedule II prescriptions at the point of prescribing and dispensing. The vehicle for this technology is the same credit card swipe terminal that is found in most all retail stores, doctor’s offices and pharmacies.
For more information and to sign up for regular information about the progress of the program, visit http://www.tnrxsafety.org or call Jenny White at the Tennessee Medical Association at (615) 385-2100.
By Jenny on Jul 9, 2008