March 17, 2017
Francine A. Giani, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Commerce announced today that the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) has released the newest software version of the State’s Controlled Substance Database (CSD) which records all controlled substances dispensed in the Beehive State. The CSD is a resource that assists healthcare professionals in providing safe and efficient care for their patients’ controlled
substances in the State. More than $550K was invested in Utah’s effort to allow greater access to patient information.
“Utah now has the best tools in place to aid healthcare professionals when making careful prescription decisions,” stated Francine A. Giani, Executive Director.
The Utah Controlled Substance Database Program was created by the Utah legislature and put into effect on July 1, 1995. The CSD collects data on the dispensing of Schedule II-V drugs from all retail, institutional, and outpatient hospital pharmacies, and in-state/out-of-state mail order pharmacies. The data is disseminated to authorized individuals and used to identify potential cases of drug over-utilization, misuse, and over-prescribing of controlled substances throughout the state. Over 74 million Utah controlled substance records have been entered into the state’s
system since January 1, 2002.
Governor Gary R. Herbert and the Utah Legislature authorized state funding to upgrade and maintain Utah’s database during the 2016 and 2017 legislative general sessions.
Senator Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, stated “The Controlled Substance Database’s online improvements now provide healthcare professionals with the most accurate information so they can administer the most responsible patient care.”
Thanks to recent legislation introduced by Representative Brad Daw, R-Orem, Utah patients may now add another person to their medical file to receive prescription alerts when the patient obtains a controlled substance.
Representative Brad M. Daw, R-Orem, noted “Utah’s Controlled Substance Database has been a pioneer nationwide in the handling of prescription records. Now 3rd party prescription alerts supply another layer of opioid safety to address this community epidemic.”
Top 5 Ways Controlled Substance Database updates address opioid epidemic in Utah
- Upgrades integrate the Controlled Substance Database with patients’ electronic health records.
- Healthcare professionals can now view 5 years of a patient’s prescription dispensing history online giving a bigger picture of the individual’s medical condition.
- Enhancements allow better information and coordination among 27 state prescription databases electronic health records.
- Faster response, user friendly software and design upgrades provide a better online resource.
- Improvements now allow access to better data by a higher number of users, such as pharmacy interns and/or pharmacy technicians who may access the CSD on behalf of a pharmacist.
“The key improvements to this information portal are designed with our healthcare professionals in mind. We understand time should be spent saving lives and treating injuries, not waiting for a page to load online to determine the best course of action for a patient,” stated Mark Steinagel, Division Director. “Additional enhancements are forthcoming, such as an online patient dashboard to assist with clinical decision-making when writing prescriptions for controlled substances.”
About Utah’s Controlled Substance Database Utah law requires each pharmacy or pharmacy group to submit data collected on a daily basis either in real time or daily batch file reporting. The submitted data shall be from the point of sale (POS) date. Data submitted by pharmacies is usually available in the Controlled Substance Database within 24 business hours of receipt. Generally, the reporting method is dependent on the pharmacy’s software and vendor. For more information about the CSD, log on to the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing’s website at dopl.utah.gov .