The Senate Health and Provider Services Committee on Wednesday threw its support behind a bill that would require Indiana physicians to check the state prescription database — called INSPECT— before prescribing powerful drugs, including opioids.
Fourteen states currently require both physicians and pharmacists to check someone’s drug history, but Indiana isn’t one of them.
The INSPECT database, which contains information about a patient’s past prescriptions from all providers, allows doctors and pharmacists to check a patient’s drug history with the hopes of preventing over-prescribing and drug-seeking behavior such as doctor shopping.
The state has started integrating INSPECT into electronic health records, reducing a system that took precious minutes to seconds. The change made it easier to check the system, but the practice is still optional.
The new bill, authored by Sen. Erin Houchin (R-Salem), has earned a thumbs-up from the Indiana Hospital Association, the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, State Health Commissioner Kristina Box and Gov. Eric Holcomb’s office. Read more at Indiana Public Media.