A new tool launched by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ (CHFS) KASPER program — Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting -– allows healthcare providers to gauge how their prescribing patterns compare with their peers. The Prescriber Report Card feature is the latest enhancement to the nationally recognized prescription drug monitoring program.
“The new KASPER Prescriber Report Card is intended to increase the usefulness of KASPER as a tool for our healthcare providers to improve patient treatment and outcomes,” said CHFS Acting Secretary Scott Brinkman. “We are very pleased with the initial response and welcome additional prescriber suggestions on the Prescriber Report Card and other ways we can make KASPER a more effective tool to help address the opioid epidemic.”
Data from the controlled substance prescribing tool can be used to compare prescribing patterns with other prescribers in a respective specialty area as well as identify the number of patients who may be at higher risk of a problem due to inappropriate controlled substance usage or potential interactions among controlled substances.
KASPER can also be used as a licensure and enforcement tool. Prescriber professional licensure boards may obtain copies of prescriber report cards to support their licensee reviews.
“The Board has looked at the KASPER Prescriber Report Card and could not be more excited about its availability to physicians and other prescribers in Kentucky,” said Mike Rodman, Executive Director of the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. “It is a wonderful tool for physicians to compare their own prescribing habits with peers within their specialty and throughout the state. The Board encourages all physicians to take a moment and review this important data, which allows them to self-reflect on their own prescribing practices and decide whether they need to make any adjustments. The Board recognizes the Cabinet for all their hard work on this special project and knows that physicians throughout the state will find this information helpful as they care for their patients.”
The new tool received similar accolades from the Kentucky Medical Association (KMA).
“We believe the new KASPER Prescriber Report Card will be a useful tool for physicians to record and compare their prescribing patterns, which could ultimately improve patient safety and overall public health,” said KMA Executive Vice President Pat Padgett.
The KASPER system tracks controlled substance prescriptions dispensed within the state. A KASPER report lists all scheduled prescriptions for an individual for a specified time period, along with the prescriber and the dispenser information. Use of KASPER by practitioners and pharmacists is vital to improving public health and patient safety in Kentucky.
“The prescriber report card has enlightened (me) about the amount of opioids prescribed by, not only myself, but also my fellow Orthopedic Surgeons,” concluded Dr. Joshua Owens, an Orthopedic Surgeon in Maysville. “We as surgeons have a responsibility to our patients and communities to utilize all the resources available to help curb prescribing medications that are very addictive.
For more information on KASPER or to view the Prescriber Report Card User Guide.
