Long-awaited drug-monitoring program starts in N.B. pharmacies

New Brunswick's new prescription-monitoring system meant to cut back on drug abuse is now live, the provincial government announced Monday.

The system gives each New Brunswicker a single, up-to-date electronic health record that includes their medication history.

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"This system is a key component of the One Patient, One Record vision and will help health-care professionals make better decisions for their patients' care,"provincial Health Minister Victor Boudreau said in a statement.

The government's announcement said that over the next year the program will include alerts "to help prescribers and pharmacists identify potential issues such as so-called 'double-doctoring,' prescriptions being filled at multiple pharmacies, and high quantities of monitored drugs."

People picking up prescription drugswill need a provincial health-card number orfederal equivalent.

The government says the electronic health record is a secure and private, and personal health information is protected under thePersonal Health Information Privacy and Access Act.