RACGP welcomes system to combat doctor shopping

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has given its tick of approval to a new $5 million computer system designed to combat abuse of prescription drugs.

“The College welcomes the implementation of a live prescription drug monitoring process, and is encouraged to see an increasing focus and investment in ehealth initiatives that stand to benefit all Australian communities,” said RACGP president, Professor Claire Jackson, in a statement.

The Electronic Recording and Reporting of Controlled Drugs system, pioneered by the Tasmanian government, is set to come online Australia-wide in July.

The new system uploads prescription records in real time, allowing clinicians and pharmacists to check how often a particular controlled substance has been prescribed. They are then able to make a clinical decision about whether to dispense a particular medication.

The system is intended to combat “doctor shopping,” a scenario where a patient visits a number of doctors to obtain multiple prescriptions. These drugs can be resold on the black market, in particular opioids and their synthetic equivalents.