To address the growing misuse and diversion of prescription drugs, the Ohio General Assembly adopted legislation in 2004 authorizing the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy to create a Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), known as the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS). Established in 2006, OARRS collects information on all outpatient prescriptions for controlled substances dispensed by Ohio-licensed pharmacies and personally furnished by licensed prescribers in Ohio. Drug wholesalers are also required to submit information on all controlled substances sold to an Ohio licensed pharmacy or prescriber. The data is reported every 24 hours and is maintained in a secure database.
Pursuant to section 4729.85 of the Revised Code, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy recently submitted its semiannual report on opioid pain relievers dispensed by Ohio pharmacies or personally furnished by prescribers. The report is divided into the following sections:
Section 1 - Opioid prescriptions dispensed by pharmacies to Ohio patients;
Section 2 - Opioid pain relievers that have been personally furnished to a patient by an Ohio prescriber, other than a prescriber who is a veterinarian; and
Section 3 - OARRS registration and usage statistics.
The report can also be accessed from the Board’s special topics web site, under the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System header: www.pharmacy.ohio.gov/Pubs/Special.aspx