CO pharmacy board denies Medicaid, insurer access to prescription drug registry

Colorado Medicaid officials and a private insurer have quietly sought access to the state's prescription drug registry to help stop doctor-shopping and pharmacy-hopping for pain pills, but a state board denied them. The healthcare interests wanted access as part of wider efforts to slow an epidemic of painkiller overdoses and opioid misuse, which has resulted in a doubling of Colorado deaths and addicts seeking treatment. The state registry records every dispensed prescription for controlled substances, and allows doctors and pharmacists to review drug histories for their patients.