Florida joins the rest of the nation in dealing with an epidemic of abuse of prescription narcotics and other controlled substances.  The issue is that although the abuse is illegal, these drugs are being acquired through legal means, unfortunately (written prescriptions are legal – dishonest people are providing them to others illegally).  Many stories exist that give examples of how ‘pill mills’ are nothing more than legalized drug dealing, and the widespread abuse of these drugs can devastate individual families and the community as a whole.  Though long overdue, recent legislation in Florida attempts to crack down on pill mills.  But there is the issue of lack of funding and enforcement.

The ‘fix’ to stop people from getting their ‘fix’
So, how can Florida and other states fight the pill mills for a small cost with a big benefit? It’s simple.  The state can require all controlled substances to be issued only via electronic prescription (e-Rx) through the SureScripts network, even for transactions not requiring insurance benefit checks.  When honest doctors and pharmacists have the ability to see and check controlled substance scripts against other scripts, abuse can be identified and reported immediately.  Plus these doctors and pharmacists have the added benefit of quickly checking drug interactions and drug allergy checks for their patients’ safety.

The state benefits too, because once e-prescriptions are mandated, Florida can partner with SureScripts to provide the overall patient-narcotic database that it currently does not have the funding to build.

Issues
There are some roadblocks that must be resolved, but they are worth a discussion.  First, this will not happen without cost.  Providers will have to purchase an e-prescribe software solution, but incentives already exist from the federal government to help offset those costs.   And second, the rule to allow electronic prescription of controlled substances must be adopted, which should happen soon.  If you can believe it, until now, paper-based controls and processes were considered more secure than electronic means.

More than ‘just say no’
There are huge benefits to e-prescriptions.  Most importantly, legitimate providers will give better, safer care to their patients.  And fewer illegal prescriptions are a good thing for any community.  First things first, however.  Support and momentum need to build for controlled substances to be transmitted securely via e-prescribe.  I have lots of reasons to support e-prescribing in my business, but in this instance, public health and safety is the most important one.  For me, e-prescribing has been a long time coming, and I fully support this initiative — kill the pill mills and have a few side benefits to boot.