Philadelphia will begin monitoring physicians' prescribing patterns to identify and intervene with those who overprescribe opioids, reports WHYY, Philadelphia's public media organization.
The new system was established under a city law passed in September 2019. The law will require pharmacies to track and report controlled-substance prescriptions by physician. This information was previously tracked, but physicians were deidentified. The city decided to add a layer of accountability when state data indicated about 1 percent of Philadelphia's physicians were writing about 25 percent of the area's opioid prescriptions.
Physicians identified as overprescribers will be required to complete additional training with the city health department. If the pattern of overprescribing continues, the health department plans to take disciplinary action against the physician.
Read the full story here.
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