State Senate sends bill to prevent ‘doctor shopping’
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The state Senate Thursday sent a bill to Gov. Corbett aimed to prevent drug addicts from “doctor shopping” to obtain narcotic painkillers, prescriptions that law enforcement believes have contributed to a heroin crisis across Pennsylvania.
The new prescription drug monitoring program is designed to create a database for the state Department of Health to track the writing of such prescriptions as oxycontin to prevent people from going to several physicians to obtain more of the drug than legally permitted.
“It will help law enforcement, and it will help to reduce the number of addiction problems,” said state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg.
Drug-related overdose deaths have quadrupled in Pennsylvania, which has the seventh-highest number of them among U.S. states, addiction specialist Michael T. Flaherty said last month during a news conference on the problem called by U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton in Pittsburgh.
Washington County, meanwhile, had 58 drug overdose deaths last year as compared to just two in 1992, according to the county coroner’s office.
Those who become addicted to expensive prescription painkillers are known to turn to cheaper heroin when they can’t obtain oxycontin, experts said.
Solobay said prescription drug monitoring programs in other states, including Florida, have “proven to be effective” in helping to combat abuse and addictions.
“With the epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse, this has worked in a lot of states with their registries,” Solobay said.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane also is optimistic the program will provide law enforcement and heath-care regulators with the information they need to better identify those who abuse controlled substances.
“Thanks to the Legislature, Pennsylvania’s program will help us save lives and keep prescriptions out of the wrong hands,” Kane said in a Thursday news release.
State Rep. Peter J. Daley said he suspects physicians who break the law in prescribing too many drugs for profit will be able to find a loophole to keep doing so.
“I hope it works,” said Daley, D-California. “I’m not confident it’ll work until they start making arrests.”
Staff writer Mike Jones contributed to this report.