Officials say Mount Carmel Health System is the first major health system to integrate its electronic health records with Ohio's prescription monitoring program, which is intended to help reduce prescription drug abuse.
That means over 2,300 care providers at Mount Carmel's emergency departments and acute care hospitals have quicker access to information about what controlled substances a person has been prescribed in Ohio.
Officials say that can improve care and curb prescription abuse by helping to identify patients suspected of or at risk of misusing medications.
The database was created in 2006 to track prescriptions furnished by Ohio prescribers or dispensed by pharmacies in the state.
A spokesman for the state pharmacy board says it's working toward integration with other hospital systems and their electronic records systems.
