What is OARRS?
To address the growing misuse and diversion of prescription drugs,
the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy created Ohio’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP),
known as the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS). Established in 2006, OARRS collects information
on all outpatient prescriptions for controlled substances and one non-controlled substance (gabapentin) dispensed
by Ohio-licensed pharmacies and personally furnished by Ohio prescribers. This data is reported every 24 hours and is maintained
in a secure database.
Drug wholesalers are also required to submit information monthly on all controlled substances and gabcapentin sold
to an Ohio licensed pharmacy or prescriber.
OARRS is a tool that can be used to address prescription drug diversion and abuse.
It serves multiple functions, including: patient care tool; drug epidemic early warning system;
and drug diversion and insurance fraud investigative tool. As the only statewide electronic database that stores
all controlled substance dispensing and personal furnishing information,
OARRS helps prescribers and pharmacists avoid potentially life-threatening drug interactions as well as identify
individuals fraudulently obtaining controlled substances from multiple health care providers, a practice commonly referred to as
“doctor shopping.” It can also be used by professional licensing boards to identify or investigate clinicians with patterns of inappropriate
prescribing and dispensing, and to assist law enforcement in cases of controlled substance diversion.
What is OARRS Academy?
OARRS Academy is a demonstration system of the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) developed by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy.
It is intended to educate students in the healthcare profession on the process and value of including OARRS as part of the professional decision-making process.
OARRS Academy closely mimics OARRS used by pharmacists and prescribers.
It is pre-loaded with data for a variety of sample patients and allows for the creation of additional sample patients.
This tool is available to all Ohio institutions of higher learning engaged in the training of pharmacists and prescribers.
For more information on the OARRS Academy, please review our frequently asked questions.