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The Boston Globe

Health & wellness

Boston.com

Online painkiller database appears helpful

‘Doctor shopping’ reduced by 30%

By Kay Lazar

 |  Globe Staff  

  June 13, 2012

A two-year-old online database that allows Massachusetts physicians and others who prescribe prescription painkillers to check whether their patients may be addicts who are “doctor shopping” for the powerful drugs appears to be helping stem that practice, state health officials said Wednesday. An analysis of a small sample of providers enrolled in the program showed a 30 percent drop in the number of their patients who filled four or more painkiller prescriptions from at least four pharmacies within six months.

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