Doctor Shopping
A Florida Bill geared at monitoring Prescriptions for Narcotics is poised to become law in the Florida Legislature. H.B. 143, Sponsored by Carl Domino, (R) Palm Beach, is a bipartisan Bill that is written to stop the problem of “Doctor Shopping”…
Palm Beach, FL. – April 20, 2009 — Doctor Shopping has become a problem over the last several years due to easy access, no State monitoring program and the lucrative street value of Narcotic Pain Medication. Patients can go from Doctor to Doctor, sometimes seeing as many as five Doctors a day, obtaining prescriptions for the same Narcotics over-and-over. The Doctor Shopper then has a commodity, such as the powerful painkiller Oxycontin, that can have a street value of as much as $150.00 per pill.
According to Carl Domino, Florida is poised to become a “national leader” with legislation to stop the practice of Doctor Shopping. Although there are several other states that have legislation that is supposed to stop or deter the problem of Doctor Shopping, by utilizing the KASPER (formerly NASPER) System, the Legislation has been met with varying degrees of success, and have not been the cure that they were hoping for.
For example, in Kentucky, the first state to use the KASPER system, it has not been effective, requiring the Governor to solicit a secondary system to help plug some of the gaps and holes in their KASPER system. Even with a secondary system to compliment KASPER, Kentucky is still having issues with their Prescription Monitoring program.
Domino’s Legislation is for newer technology that because of the use of Biometrics, will be 100% effective. Making Florida, the first State in the country to utilize this State-of-the-Art Technology.
According to retired DEA Agent, Mike McManus, he has not seen anything on the market that will be “as effective” as these Biometric Systems. McManus goes on to say that these Biometric Systems, will “put an end to the problems Law Enforcement face with Prescription Monitoring and Doctor Shopping” and “will help save lives.”
McManus, also notes that the KASPER Systems that other states are using are not “real-time” that they can take up to “30 days to report.” Whereas with Biometrics, the system is designed for “real-time,” and “operate as the patients are seeing the Doctor and going to the Pharmacist.” Biometrics leave “no gaps” in the chain and cannot be “fooled with fake I.D. or names” according to McManus.
According to Domino, there are at least three vendors that have the capability of providing this Technology. One of the leaders of this Technology is BioScriptRX.com who, along with Domino, and McManus, are excited that the issue of Doctor Shopping, is finally being addressed in a meaningful way.
Many Physicians, Pharmacists and Pharmacies support Biometrics and are already using them throughout Florida. Sunrise Pharmaceuticals, a major supplier of Prescription Medications, recently announced that they are advising all their clients to use BioscriptRX.com’s, Biometrics to stop the proliferation of “Doctor Shoppers.”
The Florida Legislature, has tried in previous years to pass Legislation, to address the issue of Doctor Shopping and Prescription Monitoring, but have run into roadblocks because of privacy issues, and other problems associated with the use of the KASPER System, at the time, the favored system of Legislators. Now after many attempts and advances in Technology, it appears that the Domino, Legislation is ready to move forward. Making Florida the trailblazer for technology addressing the serious subject of Doctor Shopping.
For more information contact: Brian Neff, 954-465-9058, researchagents@aol.com.
