N.B. government hoping more health-care providers will sign up for new drug monitoring system

The New Brunswick government is hoping more physicians, dentists and pharmacists sign-up for its new prescription drug monitoring system, which is meant to track a patient’s drug history and decrease the risk of harm or possible addiction.

The province launched a drug monitoring system in 2016, but there wasn’t a lot of uptake among health-care providers.

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Health Minister Bruce Fitch says this new program – called MaveRX – is an upgrade, with the ability to track the prescription and dispensation of all drugs, including monitored drugs like opioids, stimulants and sedatives.

About 40 health-care providers have been testing the new system for the last nine months, including Fredericton-area dentist Dr. Matthew Moore.

He says it’s lessoned the risk and administrative burden for him – and the patient.

“We look through the medication history for the patient. We look for blood thinning agents. We look for medications that affect bone and bone healing, and we look for medications that are controlled substances… and drugs that have interactions,” he said. “And so we’re wanting to make sure that we have a good handle on the patient's medical history before we provide dental care that could affect these medications.”

He said before MaveRX, he would have to get those details from the patient themselves, or by making a call to their pharmacy.

There are a variety of prescription drug monitoring systems across the country.

Nova Scotia has had a system in place since 1991, although it became more technically advanced in 2012.

Fitch says New Brunswick’s new system is more comprehensive than the old one.

It notifies a health-care provider of possible prescription forgeries, allows them to monitor a patient’s progress while on a drug, and warns them if there’s potential for a patient to suffer from addiction.

“We heard about fraudulent claims or prescriptions. We've heard about people going to various health-care providers and getting a prescription for opioids or sedatives. And some of these drugs are quite dangerous if they're overused or become available on the street. So this is a really good initiative to make sure that those are flagged or able to be flagged,” he said.

The province is spending $1 million on administering the program, so it shouldn’t result in any financial cost for providers.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.