Governor Cites Progress on Opioid Prescription Monitoring Tool

“Since taking office, we have been committed to providing communities and providers the tools, data and investments to curb and eliminate the opioid epidemic’s devastating toll on Massachusetts families,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “This revamped, user-friendly prescription monitoring system, a first-in-the-nation seven-day prescription limit, and education initiatives for our doctors, nurses, dentists and social workers, are all key to our efforts to promote safe prescribing and reduce opioid prescriptions by 28 percent over the last three years.”

In the second quarter of 2017, there were approximately 638,000 Schedule II opioid prescriptions reported to the Massachusetts Prescription Monitoring Program, a nearly 28 percent decline from the 1st Quarter of 2015 (n = 841,990 Schedule II opioid prescriptions).

• There have been more than 6.5 million searches on MassPAT, with a weekly average of approximately 125,000 searches conducted.
• The total number of individuals registered with Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT) as of October 2017: 56,993 (including delegates).
• The total number of physicians registered as of October 2017: 28,764.
• 97 percent of prescribers that prescribed at least one Schedule II or III opioid have registered with MassPAT.
• As of October 2017, Massachusetts has connected with 31 states and the District of Columbia to share patient prescription data, including Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine.

“The successful launch of MassPAT has helped reduce the risk of opioid prescription misuse and diversion,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. “Too many Massachusetts residents have died during this epidemic, and far too many began their addiction through the misuse of opioid medication. MassPAT is helping providers prevent that from happening again.”

A recent report issued by DPH highlighted the risk of prescription opioids. The Chapter 55 study found that for those who died of an opioid-related overdose between 2011 and 2015, the average survival time from first opioid prescription to death was just 36 months.

“Our goal for developing and launching MassPAT was to give healthcare providers a tool that would help them in their clinical practice and be part of the solution for the current epidemic,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. “Over the past year, MassPAT has proven its value in assisting health care providers to safely care for their patients.”

The Baker-Polito Administration has increased annual spending for substance misuse prevention and treatment by 50 percent, not including MassHealth initiatives that expand access to residential treatment and evidence-based care for the state’s most vulnerable populations.  For more information on the Commonwealth’s response to the opioid epidemic as well as links to the latest data, visit www.mass.gov/opioidresponse.