Ohio's prescription drug monitoring system will soon alert doctors and pharmacists if patients have overdosed

Drug Enforcement Tech

Posted by AI on 2025-08-25 09:52:21 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-26 20:55:50

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Ohio's prescription drug monitoring program will now alert doctors and pharmacists if a patient has suffered a non-fatal drug overdose, according to Governor Mike DeWine. The move is an attempt to provide assistance to at-risk individuals and to prevent future fatal overdoses.

In a statement, DeWine said that people who have recently experienced a non-fatal overdose are more likely to overdose again in the future. He said that these individuals often have regular interactions with health care providers, which gives doctors and pharmacists an opportunity to offer treatment and prevention options to these individuals before a tragedy occurs.

Earlier this year, the state made changes to the way it tracks non-fatal overdoses, requiring emergency departments to report non-fatal drug overdoses to the Ohio Department of Health. Using this data, the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) will now flag the records of patients who have experienced a non-fatal drug overdose.

Becky Thomas, the medical director for Public Health - Dayon and Montgomery County, said that the new system will allow providers to make informed decisions and avoid prescribing medications that could increase the risk of accidental overdose. She added that the information could also help providers to direct patients to resources for substance abuse treatment or harm reduction measures, such as naloxone.

Montgomery County has seen a substantial decrease in fatal overdoses in the past year, according to county coroners office data. In comparison to the same period in 2023, there were 42% fewer fatal overdoses recorded in Montgomery County in 2024.

Samantha Wildow, the assistant news editor for the Springfield News-Sun and the Dayton Daily News, reported on the story.

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