Mass. Med Society urges doctors to enroll in prescription monitoring
Dr. James Gessner, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
Saying it is a critical element to ending prescription drug abuse, the president of the Massachusetts Medical Society on Wednesday urged doctors to enroll in a new prescription monitoring program.
The recommendation comes just a few days before the Aug. 22 expected launch of the Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool, a new prescription monitoring program that the state has invested $6 million in upgrades, according to the medical society. Starting Oct. 15, providers who want to prescribe a Schedule II or III narcotic or benzodiazepine for the first time will have to look at the patient’s prescribing history in the database, to avoid multiple prescriptions for the same patient, said Dr. James Gessner, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
Citing records from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Gessner said fewer than 25 percent of prescribers have enrolled to date.
The new program has several features, including integration with electronic medical records, allowing prescribers to designate delegates to use the system on their behalf, and access to data from other states, including Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. It collects prescription information on Massachusetts Schedule II through V controlled substances dispensed by a prescription.
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