Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed a bill that requires that all pain clinics be licensed, and specifies requirements for ownership and employment, and requires the Kentucky licensure board to develop regulations for pain clinics. Law enforcement agencies have easier access to the state’s prescription drug monitoring database. Doctors need to examine patients, conduct full medical histories, and check electronic prescription records before prescribing narcotics.
The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy’s Institute for Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy will be charged with conducting the study over a year-long period. The article points out that the study will be funded through a $100,000 federal grant. The Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, Van Ingram, said his office is interested in whether or not the new laws have unintended consequences.
The state’s prescription drug monitoring program, called KASPER, is under review as well as the state's prescribing patterns. Researchers are looking at prescription-drug-related deaths and emergency room visits; they will also be looking at patient behavior and the impact on drug treatment centers.
