News and briefs: States consider making ?drug database? use by physicians mandatory

Legislation pending in New York and Tennessee seeks to require physicians to refer to a drug monitoring database prior to issuing any controlled substance prescriptions. According to an online article in American Medical News (amednews.com), the New York bill contends the current state database is underused.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman recently unveiled a report showing narcotic painkiller prescriptions increased to 22.5 million in 2010, nearly six million more than in 2007. According to the report, only 2,216 of a licensed 80,000 prescription-capable physicians used the current state database in the first nine months it went online.

If passed, a bill in Tennessee will require “prescribers and drug dispensers” to report on dispensed controlled substances every 24 hours instead of on a monthly basis.

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