Ohio Upgrades Prescription Monitoring

(Columbus, OH)--Ohio is adding a new tool in its fight against prescription drug abuse by upgrading the state's prescription drug monitoring program.

A State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy release says the upgrade to the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System will provide prescribers and pharmacists with analytics and tools to promote patient safety and assist in clinical decision-making.

The upgrade offers features including scores that calculate a patient's possible risk of overdose and addiction and red flags alerting prescribers of potential patient safety issues.

The upgrade will be free to Ohio health care providers accessing the reporting system via electronic health records and through the system's website on Nov. 20.

The reporting system collects information on all prescriptions for controlled substances dispensed by pharmacies or furnished by prescribers in Ohio.

(This article contains information from the Associated Press)