The programs generally require doctors to submit information on prescriptions to a centralized database. When an order is filled, the pharmacist also sends an electronic record.
If a doctor or pharmacist notices a problem in a patient's file, they can contact law enforcement or state health officers.
The effectiveness of Kentucky's system has driven illicit drug seekers to surrounding states, including Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Those states have since created tracking programs, said Danna Droz, a former administrator of Kentucky's system.
In 2004, Florida's Legislature seemed poised to jump on the bandwagon. OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma agreed to pay the state $2 million to cover start-up costs. But key legislators blocked a vote on the proposal, citing its annual $2.8-million price tag and patient privacy concerns.
Dr. Rafael Miguel of the University of South Florida called the inaction "infuriating and depressing."
"You have to provide Florida doctors with tools so they can safely prescribe these medications and know they're in the right hands," Miguel said. "Right now doctors are being made unwilling and unknowing participants in the drug trade."
