On Saturday March 20th, NC Attorney General Roy Cooper, along with Greg McCloud, Legislative Liaison for the Attorney General’s Office, and Mike DeSilver, with the State Bureau of Investigation, spoke to the NCMS Board of Directors.
The primary purpose of the visit was to ask the NCMS for its support in raising awareness among physicians about severe problems stemming from the misuse of prescription drugs. According to Cooper, the misuse of prescription drugs is the second leading cause of accidental deaths in NC, surpassing the use of illicit drugs.
Cooper noted that the NC Controlled Substances Reporting System was created to help cut down on prescription drug abuse. The CSRS allows registered dispensers and practitioners to review patients’ controlled substance prescription history on the web. It is intended to assist practitioners in monitoring patients by identifying and referring patients for specialized substance abuse treatment or pain management.
The General Assembly passed legislation during the 2009 Session to strengthen the system by allowing registered dispensers and practitioners to share information with other physicians eligible to use the system. Only 18 percent of NC docs have registered to use the Controlled Substances Reporting System. If you would like more information or to apply to become a registered user, visit the state’s website or the NCMS FAQ page.
at 4:57 pm
I love it. Suggested improvements would be to decrease the lag time between filling the script and it appearing on the website. There appears to be a 1 to 3 week lag. As an ER doc, I see repeat customers often and more current info would be helpful.