State of Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy Upgrade to Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS)

     The dental attorneys at Nardone Limited in Columbus, Ohio continuously research and identify updates and legal issues that may impact our dental clients. On October 19, 2017, the State of Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy announced that it will be upgrading the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) to include analytics software to help fight prescription drug abuse, making Ohio the first to provide the service statewide. The new platform will be available beginning November 20, 2017, at no cost to all healthcare providers using OARRS within the state.

What will the new platform include?

     The update will utilize a new program called NarxCare, which was developed by Appriss Health. NarxCare is a new analytics tool that will allow dentists to see real-time data from a variety of prescription drug monitoring programs. The program will provide an interactive visualization of a patient’s usage patterns to help dentists identify risk factors of addiction and overdose. The program will also provide “risk scores” for a patient’s individual likelihood to abuse narcotics, stimulants, and sedatives, and will include the ability to send messages other healthcare providers and information on local treatment centers.

Why is this new platform being added?

     According to a report published by the Center for Disease Control, Ohio was the fourth highest state for deaths related to drug overdoses in 2015. In 2016, the trend continued due to an increase in the abuse of the prescription drugs fentanyl and carfentanil. Due to the epidemic, Ohio has implemented numerous programs to help combat the opioid crisis. OARRS was originally created in 2006 to combat prescription drug abuse, and this new update seeks to provide dentists with the necessary information to help prevent the spread of opioid addiction and “doctor shopping” for prescription drugs.

Contact Nardone Limited

     The dental attorneys at Nardone Limited can provide education and training to you and your staff on the best practices for prescribing controlled substances. Nardone Limited, a Columbus, Ohio law firm, provides specialized dental practice representation across the state of Ohio and the United States. The dental attorneys at Nardone Limited specialize in representing dentists in such diverse areas as: (i) dental practice business succession planning; (ii) dental practice purchases and sales; (iii) dental board matters and regulatory compliance; (iv) real estate matters, including lease agreements and commercial real estate purchases; and (v) employment-related matters. Contact Nardone Limited for more information related to our employee education and training programs.