FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Friday, November 9, 2012
CONTACT: Sara Rabern (605)773-3215
Prescription Drug Monitoring in South Dakota
PIERRE, S.D.- The State of South Dakota’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PMP) has been online for 10 months and voluntary participation by physicians and pharmacists continues to increase.
The PMP was passed into law during the 2010 legislative session and went live in January of this year. The main purpose of this program was to improve patient care by providing physicians and pharmacists with a controlled substance dispensing history for their patients.
“The monitoring program’s early results demonstrate that prescription drug usage and the potential for abuse continues to be a growing concern in South Dakota,” said Jackley. “As voluntary participation by pharmacists and physicians steadily increases, the program will hopefully assist in reducing prescription abuses and doctor shopping.”
Prior to the passage of the PMP, South Dakota law required that each dispenser submit, by electronic means, information regarding each prescription dispensed for a controlled substance. Each dispenser submits the information to the central repository at least once a week unless the requirement is waived for good cause shown by the dispenser. The existence of the PMP program now allows for physicians and pharmacists to fully access the information in a more timely manner to assist in making healthcare decisions.
The PMP now affords physician and pharmacist the opportunity to voluntarily access the prescription database in order to have available additional real-time medical history. The South Dakota Board of Pharmacy encourages their members to make consulting the database a priority and have been proactive in training individuals statewide on the benefits of the PMP.
Only physicians that have a current patient relationship or new appointment scheduled may access the database. Law enforcement does not have direct access to the database and must go through an application process to receive access. Once access is approved, those officers can request data for investigatory purposes. Today, law enforcement has requested 230 profiles since February of 2012. In 2011, 30% of the Division of Criminal Investigation drug investigations were diversion type cases.
Since the implementation of PMP, the list of the 10 most prescribed controlled substances in 2012-
2012 Most Prescribed Drugs RX's Pill Quantity Quant/Rx
Hydrocodone/APAP 243,283 13,672,628 56
Zolpidem 84,789 2,704,708 32
Lorazepam 71,209 3,350,981 47
Clonazepam 61,871 3,810,969 62
Alprazolam 48,596 2,815,291 58
Methylphenidate 41,850 1,893,203 45
Amphetamine Salts 38,335 1,711,717 45
Oxycodone/APAP 37,236 2,272,210 61
Oxycodone 35,259 2,910,933 83
APAP/Codeine 31,194 1,228,273 39
In addition to the PMP, several law enforcement agencies across the state have helped reduce drug diversion by offering prescription drug take-back drop off locations. Individuals who have accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs now have options to safely dispose of those medications.
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