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NCASA Study
Staff Reporters
A large majority of 365 Internet sites that advertise or sell controlled medications by mail are offering to supply the drugs without a proper prescription, while the online trade is stoking the rising abuse of addictive and dangerous prescription drugs, according to a National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse [NCASA] at Columbia University.
The Study
Federal and state efforts to crack down on Internet sales appear to have reduced the number of sites offering such drugs, from 581 last year, according to a New York Times report on July 9, 2008. Drugs offered online include generic versions of opiates like OxyContin, methadone and Vicodin, which are legitimately prescribed as painkillers; benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium, which are prescribed for anxiety; and stimulants like Ritalin.
DEA Assessment
The Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] found that 85 percent of all Internet prescription sales involved controlled drugs, compared with just 11 percent of those filled through regular pharmacies, suggesting that online sales often are destined for misuse.
Conclusion
Do you think the current eRx initiatives will drive or reduce this phenomenon; please opine and comment?
Related Information Sources:
Practice Management: http://www.springerpub.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=23759
Physician Financial Planning: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763745790
Medical Risk Management: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763733421
Healthcare Organizations: www.HealthcareFinancials.com
Health Administration Terms: www.HealthDictionarySeries.com
Physician Advisors: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.com
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Filed under: Breaking News, Drugs and Pharma, Health Law & Policy, Information Technology, Surveys and Voting | Tagged: internet, Rx |
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Anti-Rx Drug Fraud Measures
The CMS will allow physicians to use approved anti-fraud print technologies in place of the mandated use of tamper-proof paper, slated to go into effect Oct. 1, when printing electronic prescriptions for Medicaid patients, according to physician informaticist Peter Basch and National Council for Prescription Drug Programs board member Michele Vilaret.
-Ann
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DEA Issues Interim e-prescribing Rule
The Drug Enforcement Administration has issued an interim final rule regulating electronic prescribing of controlled substances. The 334-page rule also contains a request for comments. The rule affords prescribers the option of writing e-prescriptions for controlled drugs and also applies to pharmacies and hospitals.
According to a summary of the rule, it will “reduce paperwork for DEA registrants who dispense controlled substances and have the potential to reduce prescription forgery.”
The effective date of the rule is 60 days from its March 31 publication in the Federal Register, but as a “major rule,” it is subject to congressional review and, consequently, its effective date could be adjusted.
Source: Joseph Conn, Health IT Strategist [3/25/10]
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Pain Contracts Can Undermine Patient Trust, Critics Say
As the misuse of opioids has grown, more physicians have urged patients to sign so-called pain contracts in an effort to prevent medication diversion. But these contracts, also called opioid treatment agreements, can be used indiscriminately and harm rather than enhance the physician-patient relationship, according to an article by a panel of physicians and pain-policy experts in the November issue of The American Journal of Bioethics.
“It is not that any of us disagree with the notion that agreements can, in fact, be very helpful in certain circumstances,” said Myra Christopher, co-author of the article. She noted that patients with a history of substance abuse or mental illness may be aided by documents that inform them of the risks and benefits of opioids and set out a care plan. “But,” she said, “what is becoming common practice in many pain specialty clinics is using a pre-printed, standardized form that says, ‘If we’re going to treat or prescribe controlled substances to you, these are the conditions under which we’ll do so — and sign this document, and if you fail to do so, then we’ll fire you from our practice.'”
Source: Kevin B. O’Reilly, AMNews [12/27/10]
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