98% Enroll in Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
The Georgia Dental Association and its member dentists are committed to doing their part to eliminate the opioid crisis. As of November, 98% of Georgia licensed dentists with DEA numbers are enrolled in the state-mandated Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).
The new law, which the Georgia General Assembly adopted in 2017, required all Georgia licensed healthcare providers with DEA numbers to register with the PDMP by January 1, 2018. Additionally, starting July 1, 2018, all Georgia prescribers issuing scripts for certain controlled substances will be required to use the PDMP to check a patient’s prescription history, subject to certain exceptions enumerated in the law.
“Dentists currently account for 6.4 percent of opioid prescriptions” says Georgia Dental Association Executive Director, Frank J. Capaldo. “We are committed to reducing that percentage further through member education and collaboration with other healthcare professionals, policy makers, licensing boards and the public.”
The Georgia Dental Association, a statewide association that represents about 3,400 dentists, recently introduced the GDA Prescribe with Care initiative to help fight opioid abuse. Under this initiative, the Association is:
- Partnering with the Georgia Department of Public Health to monitor PDMP registrations and increase awareness of registration requirements among all Georgia licensed dentists.
- Offering opioid prescribing Continuing Education Course in 2019 to fulfill a Georgia Board of Dentistry requirement for licensure renewal.
- Serving on opioid task forces, such as Attorney General Chris Carr’s Statewide Task Force.
- Making resources available for Georgia Dentists on safe opioid prescribing.
- Endorsing the American Dental Association’s new policy on opioid, which supports mandates on prescription limits and continuing education.
In addition to dentists enrolling in the statewide PDMP data base, these new policies and educational resources will help dentists better assess patients' needs on a case by case basis.
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