Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
Education, information on treatment, key components to combat prescription drug abuse, group says

FRANKFORT, Ky – A group of stakeholders in the prescription drug abuse epidemic say the creation of a call center staffed by trained counselors to handle inquiries about substance abuse, and a database updated weekly that matches available treatment to the needs of the abuser, would offer dramatic tools to combat Kentucky’s growing problem.

Members of Kentucky for Responsible Rx (Ky4RRx) –  an informal coalition of state agencies, healthcare and insurance representatives, treatment providers and pharmacists – also recommended educating prescribers about addiction, making referrals for treatment, and identifying signs of drug abuse and diversion in patients.

The group formed earlier this year, as various parties began talking to each other about the need to corral the epidemic.  “We all own a little piece of this problem, and we realized that if we sat in a room and hashed out what part we’re all responsible for and how we can correct it, we can make a huge impact on the problem,” Van Ingram, executive director of the Office of Drug Control Policy, said.

Over the past nine months, Ky4RRx has grown to include more than 40 members.

“Prescription drug abuse is a preventable condition that nonetheless devastates our families and communities -- physically, socially and financially,” said Gov. Steve Beshear.  “I applaud this group for bringing together their resources to address the problem and offer comprehensive solutions.”

Professionals in the field say appropriate treatment is often difficult to locate, and beds are hard to come by.  A call center, modeled after an “I Quit” treatment line in West Virginia, would allow a practitioner, family member or individual to speak to a trained counselor about signs of abuse, and would include a website with updated information on where to go for treatment.

“This puts it all under one roof,” said Steve Wilson, one of the group’s original organizers and senior vice president with Benefit Insurance Marketing, an advisory for corporate health plans.

In addition, the Kentucky Medical Association is exploring devoting another issue of its professional medical journal to substance abuse, according to its president, John R. White, M.D.  The group is also exploring other educational opportunities, such as offering web-based continuing education units aimed at educating prescribers and increasing the number of prescribers and pharmacists that utilize Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting, or KASPER, according to Dr Allen Grimes, a medical director at Humana Inc. and a member of the coalition.

With more than 90 percent of the KASPER queries originating from health care professionals, the prescription drug monitoring system has demonstrated its value.  Still, of the nearly 14,000 licensed prescribers in Kentucky, only 26 percent have active KASPER accounts.

“While not all of those health professionals prescribe controlled substances, we really need to increase the number who are using KASPER,” said Dave Hopkins, KASPER Program Manager. “It’s an under-utilized tool that can help reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion.”

Kentucky has one of the highest rates of prescription drug abuse in the nation.  A report released last month by the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet found that the rate of prescriptions dispensed for all controlled substances trended up in nearly all Kentucky counties between 2005-2007.  Overall, the state rate jumped 13.4 percent.

“We know statistically people get started abusing prescription drugs through diversion – using drugs that they buy or take from family and friends,” Ingram said.  “The more of these powerful painkillers that are prescribed, the more opportunity there is for diversion.  I’m not saying that all the increase was abused, but it seems like a pretty big jump in a 24-month period.”