Second Report from Controlled Substances Board Continues to Show Drop in Opioid Prescriptions

Madison, WI – Today, the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) announced the findings of the second report from the Controlled Substances Board (CSB) on the success of the Wisconsin Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). The report highlights that between October 1 and December 31, 2016, the number of opioid doses dispensed decreased by over 11 million when compared to the same quarter in 2015.

“This report indicates our efforts throughout Wisconsin to fight prescription drug abuse and misuse are working,” Governor Walker said. “We remain committed to creating a safe state for all our citizens, and we will not stop until the number of opioid overdose deaths in Wisconsin is down to zero.”

There were 1,261,095 opioid prescriptions dispensed in Wisconsin between October 1 and December 31, 2015, which is equivalent to 82,874,267 drug doses. The CSB report shows that between October 1 and December 31 of 2016, there was an 11.7 percent reduction in opioid prescriptions and a 13.3 percent reduction in drug doses dispensed when compared to quarter four in 2015. Additionally, in comparison to the CSB’s first report released in October, there were 3,142,961 fewer opioid doses dispensed in quarter four 2016 than in quarter three 2016.

The report also includes information on the number of requests for data made by health care professionals about their patients, the number and makeup of reports submitted by law enforcement, and data on doctor shopping and pharmacy hopping. It further provides information on the number of individuals receiving both opioids and benzodiazepine prescriptions.

“The PDMP is a program that we are incredibly proud of,” said DSPS Acting Secretary Eric Esser. “We are hopeful that with the tools available in the new enhanced PDMP, we continue to enable healthcare professionals to make informed prescribing decisions.”

The Wisconsin PDMP was deployed in June 2013 and is administered by DSPS. Since its inception, the PDMP has primarily been a tool to help healthcare professionals make more informed decisions about prescribing and dispensing controlled substance prescriptions to patients. It also discloses data as authorized by law to governmental and law enforcement agencies. It stores over 48 million prescription records submitted by over 2,000 pharmacies and dispensing practitioners, with an average of nearly 5,000 queries performed each day.

Click here for a copy of the Controlled Substances Board report.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.