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Journal of Prevention
Published in: Journal of Prevention 5/2015

01-10-2015 | Original Paper

The Use of a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to Develop Algorithms to Identify Providers With Unusual Prescribing Practices for Controlled Substances

Authors: Christopher Ringwalt, Sharon Schiro, Meghan Shanahan, Scott Proescholdbell, Harold Meder, Anna Austin, Nidhi Sachdeva

Published in: Journal of Prevention | Issue 5/2015

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Abstract

The misuse, abuse and diversion of controlled substances have reached epidemic proportion in the United States. Contributing to this problem are providers who over-prescribe these substances. Using one state’s prescription drug monitoring program, we describe a series of metrics we developed to identify providers manifesting unusual and uncustomary prescribing practices. We then present the results of a preliminary effort to assess the concurrent validity of these algorithms, using death records from the state’s vital records database pertaining to providers who wrote prescriptions to patients who then died of a medication or drug overdose within 30 days. Metrics manifesting the strongest concurrent validity with providers identified from these records related to those who co-prescribed benzodiazepines (e.g., valium) and high levels of opioid analgesics (e.g., oxycodone), as well as those who wrote temporally overlapping prescriptions. We conclude with a discussion of a variety of uses to which these metrics may be put, as well as problems and opportunities related to their use.
Footnotes
1
For further information, see the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws at http://​www.​namsdl.​org/​prescription-monitoring-programs.​cfm.
 
2
391, 402, 403, 404, 406, 424, 426, 428, 430, 432, 435, 436, 455, 450, 461, 462, 465, 476, and 509.
 
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Metadata
Title
The Use of a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to Develop Algorithms to Identify Providers With Unusual Prescribing Practices for Controlled Substances
Authors
Christopher Ringwalt
Sharon Schiro
Meghan Shanahan
Scott Proescholdbell
Harold Meder
Anna Austin
Nidhi Sachdeva
Publication date
01-10-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Prevention / Issue 5/2015
Print ISSN: 2731-5533
Electronic ISSN: 2731-5541
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-015-0397-0

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