- April 28, 2024
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The prescription-drug monitoring program called E-FORCSE, the Electronic Florida Online Reporting of Controlled Substances Evaluation, is live as of Oct. 17, according to a state press release.
All physicians in Florida will now have the ability to access the prescription drug history of patients in Florida.
Flagler County Sheriff Donald Fleming has been outspoken in the fight against prescription drug-related crime.
“While I think this is a positive step in fighting illegal sales of prescription medicines, I also think we need a stiffer penalty for the physicians who making these pills so readily available by writing prescriptions," Fleming said. "I feel the physicians who are identified as being a part of the problem should face a minimum 20-year prison sentence and the suspension of their medical license. The street pushers need to do some significant time as well. There should be no plea bargaining. We need to cut off the supply.”
The monitoring program came about due to efforts of State Senator Mike Fasano Fasano and others during the past 10 years.
The database will assist physicians in identifying patients who may not be using their medications properly.
“On average, the scourge of prescription drug abuse claims the lives of seven people per day,” Fasano said. “This … tool is intended to cut that number significantly.”
The database will track all controlled substance prescriptions (C2- through C4) that are filled in Florida. The information contained in the database will include the name and dosage of the controlled substance, where it was filled and who wrote it.
Doctors can then use that information in determining what medications are in the best interest of their patient. If the data shows that the person is “doctor shopping” (the illegal practice of seeing multiple doctors in a short period of time to secure the same or similar medications without disclosing that fact), the doctor can either refuse to write a prescription or assist the patient in the pursuit of substance abuse treatment.
Many doctor shoppers sell their medications, which is also a crime. The database will assist law enforcement in curbing the proliferation of this dangerous criminal behavior.
The Florida Medical Association and the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association have both encouraged their respective memberships to consult the database.
