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ISMA resolution leads to opening of state database
ISMA member Don Wagoner, M.D., of Burlington, submitted a resolution at the 2005 ISMA convention that made sense to the ISMA House of Delegates — and state legislators. They passed a law in 2006 that will soon give physicians and other medical providers access to the state's prescription drug monitoring program, INSPECT.
Beginning July 1, physicians and other medical practitioners in Indiana will gain access to a vast storehouse of patient and prescription drug information through the INSPECT Web Center. The information was previously available only to local, state and federal law enforcement.
Other practitioners gaining access with the new law include medical specialists, dentists, veterinarians, scientific investigators, pharmacists and those licensed to research, distribute or administer controlled substances.
Dr. Wagoner explained that when one of his patients wanted a prescription for chronic pain but did not have cancer, staff members would quickly see red flags. “We needed to determine who was abusing drugs. Now with access to the database, we can find out who is going to several different doctors and different pharmacies, and approach the patient head on," he said.
ISMA Immediate Past President Kevin Burke, M.D., chair of the state’s Controlled Substance Advisory Committee said using INSPECT won’t be a frequent occurrence for most physicians, but when there’s the need to confirm a suspicion about a patient or get feedback to help with a patient’s care, the system will serve as another tool and a valuable service.
Inside INSPECT
By accessing the INSPECT Web Center, you will view detailed information about patient treatment history, which may help you offer more appropriate treatment regimes. For the first time, you will be able to look at records detailing all previous instances in which your patients were prescribed controlled substances.
You’ll also gain additional insight about whether the drugs you prescribe are being used for illicit purposes.
To ensure confidentiality of patients’ medical records, some restrictions will apply. For instance, any practitioner submitting a request for patient information must be providing medical or pharmaceutical treatment to the patient in question, or must be evaluating the need for such treatment.
Gain access to INSPECT by submitting a registration application. To speak to a member of the INSPECT staff, call (317) 234-4458.
More about INSPECT
The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation in the mid-1990s that required the collection of controlled substance data through the Central Repository for Controlled Substances Data.
At its inception, Indiana’s Prescription Drug Monitoring program required licensed pharmacies in Indiana to report on dispensed schedule II controlled substances. In early 2004, grant funding and an act of the legislature helped create INSPECT in its present form, expanding reporting requirements to include schedule II through V controlled substances.
INSPECT continues to be partially funded through the Harold Rogers grant program, which provides similar funding in other states. Additional funding for INSPECT is provided at the state level, derived from a percentage of controlled substance licensing fees.
All data collection and maintenance activities for INSPECT are handled in-house. The data repository is accessible only to registered users and available only through a secure Web site maintained by program staff.
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