Tuesday marked the first day for a prescription drug monitoring program in St. Louis and St. Louis County. The programs were approved last year and focus on fighting prescription drug and heroin abuse.
The new system created a database of prescription information built by local pharmacists.
Prescribers can now access that information to see how often a patient has been prescribed certain medications, like potentially addictive opioid painkillers.
Dr. Alexander Garza, the Chief Medical Officer of SSM Health St. Louis, said the new PDMP alone will not end prescription drug abuse, but it’s a good start in that direction.
“The PDMP is just one piece of this big puzzle that we have to solve." he said, "and part of that has to be treatment for getting off of opioids, which is very poorly funded.”
Dr. Garza said patients who visit a hospital or doctor's office for legitimate reasons shouldn't notice any changes. He also said the program's impact on doctors and pharmacists is minimal.
Under the program, not all prescriptions will be tracked and participation in the program is not mandatory for pharmacies.
