Organizations Commit to Fight Prescription Abuse

Thirteen organizations have agreed to collaborate on addressing ways to combat the prescription drug abuse epidemic and help practitioners comply with legal responsibilities for prescribing, dispensing and distributing controlled substances.

The organizations have signed a document that signifies their commitments and lay out initiative projects. “Such collaboration is essential to ensuring that this public health problem is addressed while at the same time ensuring that patients continue to receive responsible and effective patient care,” according to the document.

Signing organizations pledge to create two educational documents for industrywide use. The first will identify circumstances or red flags that should initiate actions to ensure legitimacy of a controlled substance prescription. The second document will offer guidance on how to engage in and improve dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders to address red flags, with the hope of eliminating confusion caused by current proprietary policies.

Participants in the initiative include American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association, Cardinal Health, CVS Caremark, Federation of State Medical Boards, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Community Pharmacists Association, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Rite Aid and Walgreen Co. The document is available here.