Source: Ohio Board of Pharmacy
The 2022-23 Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) Report continues to show encouraging trends that are the result of Ohio’s efforts to promote the safe and responsible prescribing of controlled substance medications.
OARRS is an indispensable healthcare tool in effort to address prescription drug abuse and misuse. Use of the system continues to increase at record rates thanks to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s (OBP) efforts to promote the integration of OARRS into electronic health records and pharmacy dispensing systems. Since implementing the first statewide integration program in the nation, the OBP has onboarded a significant number of health systems, clinics, and pharmacies throughout the state. Due to these efforts, more than 93% of Ohio prescribers access OARRS via an integrated workflow.
- The number of opioid doses and prescriptions dispensed to Ohio patients continued to decrease. Total doses of opioids decreased from a high of 793 million in 2012 to 292 million in 2023, a 63.1% decrease. The total number of opioid prescriptions decreased by 7.2 million between 2012 and 2023, a 57.1% decrease.
- The number of benzodiazepine doses and prescriptions dispensed to Ohio patients continued to decrease. Total doses of benzodiazepines decreased from a high of 297 million in 2012 to 146 million in 2023, a 50.8% decrease. The total number of benzodiazepine prescriptions decreased by 2.01 million between 2012 and 2023, a 40.8% decrease.
- Through a collaboration with RecoveryOhio and the Ohio Department of Health, OARRS now collects information on participants who were treated for a non-fatal overdose by an Ohio hospital. This data is intended to promote access to medication for opioid use disorder and other tools to prevent fatal overdoses. For more information, please visit the OBP website.
- Collecting data on individuals receiving treatment from state-licensed opioid treatment programs (OTP). Through a collaboration with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, patients who are actively treated as part of an OTP are now flagged for physicians and other healthcare professionals in OARRS.