Changes in Pharmacy Mail-Out Program

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise, not only in Oklahoma but around the entire United States. Oklahoma leads the nation in both prescription painkiller abuse and related deaths. Native Americans in Oklahoma are at the same level as the general population when it comes to prescription painkiller abuse and deaths. Painkiller abuse and related deaths are highest among Whites and Native Americans, about three times higher those of Blacks and Hispanics. Because of this abuse and related deaths due to prescription painkillers, the Absentee Shawnee Tribal Health Board of Directors voted at their recent monthly meeting to approve the pharmacy department request to stop the practice of mailing narcotics to out-of-state addresses.  

In Oklahoma, our pharmacists have access to the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) that allows the doctors and pharmacists to check on a patient’s use of narcotics. The goal of this program is to reduce prescription fraud, substance abuse, “doctor shopping”, and other illegal activity related to pharmaceutical drug diversion. Our providers and pharmacists in both of our clinics frequently check this site to make sure their patients are not abusing the drugs. They check to see when a prescription was filled, what the medication is, what provider wrote the prescription, or how often the medication is being filled. The pharmacists do not have the ability to do this on the out-of-state prescriptions because not all states have this same program.

Beginning in August, 2012, no narcotics will be mailed to outof-state addresses. In June and July, the pharmacists will begin contacting those tribal members who this might affect and will attempt to offer other resources for their prescriptions. They will also be contacting the providers who write the prescriptions to let them know we will no longer fill prescriptions for narcotics that have to be mailed to these out of state patients. We just feel that this is a huge liability to mail out narcotics because we do not know who the person is who is signing for the delivery. In Oklahoma, patients are required to show a photo ID when picking up a narcotic prescription from the pharmacy. We do not have that option when we mail narcotics. The post office is not required to ask for a photo ID, so anyone could be getting the medication out of the mail. As a health program, we want to not only protect the patient but the tribe. 

We are sorry for any inconvenience to those out of state tribal members. This does not affect the in-state prescriptions. We will continue to mail to in-state addresses, but we are asking that those patients go to the Shawnee or Little Axe pharmacies to provide their current addresses and driver’s license. For in-state, we are able to check the PMP for patient information. This does not affect other medication such at monthly maintenance prescriptions such as diabetes, blood pressure, or other required monthly medications.  We will continue to mail out these medications to the out-of-state addresses.

If you feel you have an addiction to prescription drugs, please call your primary care provider or the Absentee Shawnee clinics. We will work with you to help you get treatment for your addiction. You can also contact the Community of Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Tool Kit for prescription drug abuse prevention at www.preventionworksct.org/doc/SDFSC/PDF/Prescription_Drug_Abuse_Prevention.pdf for more information or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at www.samhsa.gov/rxsafety.  If you have any questions or need our assistance, please feel free to contact the pharmacy director, Nancy Phelps at 405.447.0300, Shawnee Clinic Administrator Marla Throckmorton at 405.878.4702, or Little Axe Clinic Administrator Beverly Felton at 405.447.0300. We will attempt to help you with alternate resources regarding your medications.