Ohio's prescription drug reporting database is performing at a record high level. Gov. Mike DeWine says these new number show Ohio's tool is the most prolific of its kind in the country.
The Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System also known as OARRS is averaging more than 800,000 searches a day, even surpassing one million queries twice this year.
Physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical professionals use this database to search for patients' prescription drug histories.
It can reveal a pattern of substance abuse and if they're looking for new doctors to prescribe drugs, known as "doctor shopping."
Gov. Mike DeWine says OARRS has been critical in cutting off the supply for people with opioid abuse disorder.
"If we have fewer people becoming addicted based on the pain meds that means there will be fewer people on the other end who are addicted to fentanyl or addicted to heroin and fewer deaths."
Federal officials say OARRS is the most utilized prescription drug monitoring tool in the country.
