Washington State cracks down on prescription fraud with new paper and ink

The Seattle Post Intelligencer/Everett Herald: "Patients who get written prescriptions will see changes this summer aimed at curbing fraud. Come July 1, prescriptions will be printed on tamper-resistant paper with Mission Impossible-like ink that changes color when rubbed with a finger. They also will have a teal green state seal, a map of Washington, a mortar and pestle and the words 'Washington State Board of Pharmacy Board Approved Paper.'" These steps are being taken in an effort "to prevent people from using fake, stolen or altered prescriptions to get legal, commonly abused drugs such as Percocet, Ritalin or Demerol. More than 53,000 health care professionals in Washington can write prescriptions, including doctors, dentists, naturopaths and even veterinarians, said Susan Boyer, executive director of the Washington State Board of Pharmacy."

The requirement to use the state's approved paper forms will take effect July 1. "Washington's new requirement follows California and New York in taking steps to require anyone who writes prescriptions to switch to more tamper-resistant prescription pads, Boyer said. ... It's unclear how much of a problem patients altering prescriptions actually is. However officials believe misuse and abuse of prescription medications is growing in the state and nation, particularly with pain medications, said Donn Moyer, a spokesman for the state Department of Health" (Salyer, 3/3).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.