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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 9:39 pm
Time: 9:39 pm
Results for prescription drug abuse (virginia)
1 results foundAuthor: Virginia Department of Health Professions and Virginia State Police Title: Prescription Monitoring Program Summary: Chapter 481 of the 2002 Acts of Assembly amended the Code of Virginia to create a prescription monitoring program as a pilot program limited to State Health Planning Region III in Southwest Virginia. The program began operations in September 2003 with prescriptions dispensed for Schedule II controlled substances being submitted by approximately 300 pharmacies and other dispensers twice a month. Currently, the database contains over 460,000 prescription records and over 1000 requests for information from the program have been processed. Review of data collected thus far appears to show that the implementation of the program has not had a “chilling” effect on the legitimate prescribing of Schedule II controlled substances. The amount of oxycodone and hydrocodone being distributed in wholesale distribution channels continued to increase throughout Virginia at a rate of 9% and 8% respectively in 2002 and 2003. Information maintained by the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) shows that after a substantial drop in claims for oxycodone containing prescriptions in the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2002, the number of claims submitted in the 1st quarter of 2004 for these products are 21% higher than they were in the 1st quarter of 2001. A survey was conducted in mid-2004 and compiled by the Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University and sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the South Atlantic chapter of the ACS, in collaboration with the Virginia Cancer Pain Initiative. Physicians were asked if in the past three years, they have been prescribing fewer Schedule II controlled substances. 36% of respondents reported prescribing fewer Schedule II drugs; of these, 48% cited intense media coverage and 41% cited increased law enforcement activity as the reason for prescribing fewer Schedule II prescriptions. 31% of these practitioners reported that prescribing fewer Schedule II drugs had a negative impact of helping patients manage their pain while 61% reported no impact. A concern of having a pilot program in only the southwest portion of the Commonwealth was that the illegal activity of prescription drug diversion would move to outside the program area. Data from the Drug Diversion Unit of the State Police appears to confirm that concern. Data comparing 2003 to 2004 shows complaints received by the unit increased by 26% statewide while decreasing in the program area by 47%. Arrests increased by 35% statewide versus 31% in the program area. It also appears that using the program may save substantial man-hours in performing investigations with data from the program area showing a 53% decrease in manhours spent doing pharmacy profiles between 2003 and 2004. Accidental deaths due to prescription drug abuse or misuse continues to be a significant public health concern in Virginia, especially the southwest region of the Commonwealth. Since 2000, there has been a 100% increase in drug deaths in the Western District of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Statewide in 2003, there were 223 drug deaths reported in the Western District, 101 in the Tidewater District, 106 in the Central District and 108 in the Northern District. In the Western District, 44.6% of the cases identified methadone as the cause of death followed by hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl and propoxyphene. The issue of prescription drug abuse is not limited to Virginia. The President’s 2004 National Drug Control Strategy highlighted the problem, reporting that the non-medical use of addictive prescription drugs has been increasing throughout the United States at alarming rates. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2002, an estimated 6.2 million Americans reported past-month use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. Nearly 14 percent of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 have used such drugs, which include pain relievers, sedatives/tranquilizers, or stimulants, for non-medical purposes at some point in their lives. To combat this problem several approaches are being developed, including education and training on appropriate pain management and opioid treatment procedures for practitioners, increasing the number of state prescription monitoring programs, and using technology to identify, investigate, and prosecute “pill mills” including internet pharmacies that provide controlled substances illegally. In May 2004, Department staff developed a list of policy issues that became evident as a result of the evaluation workplan. These policy issues were reviewed at the June and September 2004 meetings of the Advisory Committee and recommendations were made based on those issues. Details: Richmond, VA: Virginia Department of Health Professions and the Virginia State Police, 2004. 79p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 14, 2011 at: http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/dhp_programs/pmp/docs/REPORT%20OF%20THE%20PMP.pdf Year: 2004 Country: United States URL: http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/dhp_programs/pmp/docs/REPORT%20OF%20THE%20PMP.pdf Shelf Number: 122060 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionIllicit DrugsPrescription Drug Abuse (Virginia)Prescription Fraud |