Tracking the tracker: Long road for Pennsylvania's prescription drug monitoring program
In Pennsylvania, few took notice to the silent epidemic before deaths from prescription drug abuse started making the front pages of newspapers across the state. And, in fact, there was no reason to believe opioids would create such a problem particularly when Purdue Pharma launched a campaign in 1996 informing patients and doctors that a new, safe drug was available to combat pain. But, there were some early warning signs and some did begin to take notice. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts at raising red flags, moving legislation was difficult if not impossible at the time. During the 2011-'12 legislative session, with 45 co-sponsors including prime sponsor Eugene DiGirolamo , Pennsylvania House Bill 1651 aimed to establish the "Pharmaceutical Accountability Monitoring System." This would give physicians a tool to better understand if the person sitting in their exam room had legitimate pain or was doctor shopping. Sadly, the bill never received a vote on t