Florida’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), introduced last year has helped reduce the number of deaths from prescription drug abuse, the Florida Department of Health announced Tuesday.
“We are seeing appropriate use of PDMP to save lives though a safer system of controlled substance prescribing and dispensing,” said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong in a joint statement. “The funding of PDMP is sustainable through the end of fiscal year 2012-13, and I have every confidence that any additional funding needs will be addressed.”
In 2010, 90 of the top 100 oxycodone purchasing physicians in the country were located in Florida, but this dropped dramatically by 86% as a result of the passage of the PDMP. The bill which accompanied the PDMP prohibits doctors from dispensing opiod based pain relievers, increases regulatory action against doctors’ licenses and makes provision for more stringent reporting timeframes to the PDMP. The number of Florida doctors who appeared on the top purchasers list was reduced to 13 out of 100 as a result of these and other changes, the Florida Department of Health also stated.
