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SAMHSA News Room
Contact Media Services: (240) 276-2130

SAMHSA News Bulletin

Date: 5/14/2009
Media Contact: SAMHSA Press Office
Telephone: 240-276-2130

SAMHSA Seeks Public Comment on Issues Related to the Implementation of the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act

In the April 29 Federal Register, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced plans to implement the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act (NASPER).  NASPER was enacted in 2005 to provide grant support to States to establish State-administered prescription drug monitoring programs (PMP) in order to ensure that health care providers have access to the accurate, timely prescription history information.  Health care providers will use such systems for the “early identification of patients at risk for addiction in order to initiate appropriate medical interventions and avert the tragic personal, family, and community consequences of untreated addiction.”
 
The April 29 Notice requests public comments on proposed minimum requirements for PMPs. The proposed minimum requirements relate to security, access, and use of the information in the programs. SAMHSA expects that establishing minimum standard requirements will accelerate interoperability and the overall utility of such programs nationwide.

At least 38 States have operating PMPs, or statutory authority to start a new program.  Typically, pharmacies collect and submit information on controlled substance prescriptions to a centralized database.  Physicians, pharmacists, and other authorized parties access these systems to learn if patients are receiving prescriptions from multiple sources. One limitation of these systems is the lack of interoperability, as information is sometimes not currently shared among the States, or in some cases even among information systems within the same State.
 
SAMHSA received a $2 million appropriation for FY 2009 to award formula grants to States for either implementing or improving their PMP.

According to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), misuse of prescription drugs currently ranks second only to marijuana. Of the 20 million Americans who reported using an illicit drug in the past month in 2007, 7 million used prescription-type drugs nonmedically and approximately 14 million used marijuana.  In addition, of those 7 million misusing prescription drugs, the vast majority (75%) misused prescription pain relievers, a category that includes powerful opiods such as methadone, oxycodone, and hydrocodone— drugs that can lead to death in non-opiate tolerant persons.

Those interested in submitting comments have until May 29 and can obtain the notice and instructions online at http://www.dpt.samhsa.gov/pdf/NASPER_FR_Notice_042909.pdf .

 

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health services delivery system.


Page Last Updated: 5/14/2009