The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, based in Columbus, Ohio, is now implementing a direct feed from the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) to improve and streamline efforts to decrease opioid abuse and addiction.
The OARRS database tracks the dispensing of controlled substances from retail pharmacies in Ohio. Healthcare professionals who write prescriptions for controlled substances are required to check the database in various situations.
“With Sunday’s activation of the OARRS feed into the medical center’s electronic medical record system, we’re making it more efficient for our physicians and nurses to fulfill this requirement, without having to log into a separate system and search for the patient,” Andrew Thomas, M.D., chief medical officer, said in a statement. “It’s now much easier for our prescribers to help prevent abuse of controlled substances while caring for our patients.”
Through Ohio State’s “Community Connect” model, this direct connection to the OARRS database will also be available at three other hospital systems in the region that purchase electronic medical record services from Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
“Ohio is a national leader in increasing the use of its prescription monitoring program through direct integration with electronic medical records and pharmacy dispensing systems. By increasing the use of OARRS, Ohio healthcare professionals have more opportunities to intervene when they see warning signs of addiction in order to get Ohioans the help they need,” Steven W. Schierholt, executive director of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, said in a statement.
