The Indiana Attorney General’s Office (IAGO) has invited the ISMA to participate in a newly formed Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force. The invitation came specifically to the ISMA’s Government Relations Director Mike Rinebold, formerly with the Indiana Medical Licensing Board.

Citing an epidemic of prescription painkiller overdoses and Indiana’s poisoning death rate that is greater than the U.S. rate, the IAGO has called for a task force of experts to study the issue, propose new rules, regulations and statutes to more aggressively combat the problem.

Rinebold was asked to serve on one of five committees under the task force. His committee will be charged with securing funds and increasing usage of the Indiana Scheduled Prescription Electronic Collection and Tracking program, referred to as INSPECT.

“Continuing the funding of INSPECT – now in jeopardy – will be job one. And I look forward to advancing a message about the benefit a program like INSPECT provides physicians and patients,”noted Rinebold.

The full task force, chaired by Attorney General Greg Zoeller, scheduled its first meeting for Sept. 17. Joan Duwve, M.D., chief medical officer at the Indiana State Department of Health, will serve as vice chair. The group will conclude by Dec. 31.