NASHVILLE – Effective April 1, 2013, prescribers will be required to look up their patients in the state’s Controlled Substance Monitoring Database before beginning a new treatment with an opioid or benzodiazepine and at least yearly thereafter if treatment continues. The reporting will ultimately benefit all Tennesseans in helping to decrease the complex collection of problems associated with improper use of prescribed drugs.
“Just as we check for allergies before giving a medication intended to help a patient, medical professionals will now check the database to help prevent these powerful medications from causing harm,” said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “We believe the April 1 requirement for clinicians to use the database will improve patient safety, provide opportunities for counseling and referral to treatment to prevent misuse and abuse of prescription drugs, and help to prevent the use of drugs for non-intended purposes.”
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