Audit Finds Oregon’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Contains Weaknesses

Monitoring tool ties the hands of regulators, doctors and police, who cannot share information about potential abuse freely.

The Portland Spirit and the Portland skyline. (Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County)
By Nigel Jaquiss

An audit released by Secretary of State Dennis Richardson today highlighted some key loopholes in the state's prescription drug monitoring program, which was created in 2009 to rein in opioid abuse.

The Oregon Health Authority manages the program. The opioid death rate in Oregon has actually declined in recent years in Oregon, which is counter to the trend in many states.

But Richardson's auditors noted that Oregon's substance abuse issues are greater than those in surrounding states. Here's one illustration of how we stack up:

The auditors found three key weaknesses in the existing PDMP:

1. "State laws prevent OHA from sharing information on questionable activity with key stakeholders, such as health licensing boards and law enforcement. We found people who received opioid prescriptions from excessive numbers of prescribers, as well as instances of dangerous drug combinations and prescriptions for excessive drug dosages."

2. "Oregon is one of only nine states that does not require prescribers or pharmacies to use the PDMP database before an opioid prescription is written or dispensed."

3. "Due to statutory restrictions, Oregon's PDMP does not collect some prescription information that could be critical in preventing prescription drug abuse. This includes prescriptions filled by pharmacies other than only retail, veterinarian prescribed prescription."

Among their specific finding are a number of eye-popping examples of apparent abuse that better transparency might eliminate. For instance, "148 Oregonians received controlled substance prescriptions from 30 or more separate prescribers and filled their prescriptions at 15 or more pharmacies within a three-year time frame," the audit found.

Richardson wants the state to do better.

"I am personally heartbroken by some of the findings in this audit," he said in a statement. "Oregon badly needs more tools to address the opioid crisis, reduce substance abuse, and help victims. We can do better, and this audit identifies concrete solutions that can help save lives."

OHA deputy director Kris Kautz said in a letter that her agency agreed with the audits findings and its 12 recommendations for improvement, although it would need statutory changes from lawmakers to implement several of those suggestions.

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