Tampa Tribune (01/16/12) Reyes, Ray
Some 5,787 medical professionals have registered to use the Electronic Florida Online Reporting of Controlled Substances Evaluation, or E-FORCSE, database. Within two months of the launch, those health professionals checked the prescription histories of 106,414 patients. Under state law, pharmacists and other health professionals who prescribe narcotic-grade medication have seven days after the painkillers are dispensed to patients to report the information to the database. State lawmaker Mike Fasano plans to file legislation to eliminate the seven-day grace period for doctors to enter prescriptions in the database; Fasano wants the system updated as soon as a doctor files a prescription or a pharmacist dispenses it.

Read the complete article