Starting June 1, Michigan doctors are now required to review a patient's full history in the state prescriber registry, otherwise known as MAPS.
This newest mandate is one of many legislative efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. Dr. Lisa Lowery, chief of adolescent medicine at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, said these are tools they have always had access to but are now required to use.
Lowery says overall the new rules are bringing more awareness to prescribers about what medications they are prescribing, and patients in need are typically willing to take the necessary steps.
For the last year and a half, Lowery said there's been conversation on setting new parameters for prescribers of controlled substances.
Drug testing has also become more frequent among prescribers. Lowery said her office will drug test but only after speaking openly with the patient.
"I don't like to do drug tests, kind of, behind their backs," Lowery said.
The drug screens are primarily used to determine if the medication is being taken properly and that the patient is not abusing another substance. The drug tests are typically covered by insurance.
In many cases, substances like marijuana—medical or not—cannot be used while a patient is also prescribed to a controlled substance in Michigan. Protocol tends to differ on an institutional basis, but patients are required to sign off on a controlled substance contract, which details those rules.
Adults who were prescribed to ADHD medication as children are often being required to re-test for ADHD by their insurance providers. This is a push by insurance companies to ensure that those receiving the medication actually needed it.
Formal evaluations for ADHD can be expensive, but behavioral doctors within a patient's primary care office can usually provide this service.
"Anytime you have to change practice or institute another step, we are always a little bit frustrated with those things," Lowery said. "But, hopefully long term we will be in better place."
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Emma Nicolas is a multimedia journalist. Have a news tip or question for Emma? Get in touch by email enicolas@wzzm13.com, Facebook or Twitter.