After Much Delay, Pa. to Launch Rx Drug-Monitoring Database

After more than a year's delay, Pennsylvania's prescription drug-monitoring programis finally going live. Many clinicians view it as an important tool in fighting the region's drug epidemic.

The statewide database will collect and store prescription information about potentially addictive drugs including OxyContin and Percocet. In June, pharmacists started inputting information about the prescriptions they filled. Doctors began registering in early August. The database goes live Thursday.

For Dr. Merle Carter, an emergency physician at Einstein Health and chair of the state chapter of the College of Emergency Physicians, it means she'll have a better way to find out whether a new patient may be overusing or misusing a drug.