Thanks KASPER

I finally set up my KASPER (Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting) account last week and have already had success using it. On Friday, while working at a store in Brandenburg, Kentucky, I had a patient glaring over the counter inpatiently waiting for me to finish filling his clonazepam prescription. He was acting strange and making me nervous the way he was leaning over our front counter. I noticed he was paying cash for his prescription, which is also a signal that he could be getting this medication elsewhere.

While filling his prescription I switched computer screens and pulled up my KASPER account and did a quick search. Almost instantly I was provided with a report that he had just filled the medication at Rite Aid and wasn't due for another week. I looked up at him and informed him that it was not necessary for him to wait now because it was apparent that he should not be out of his medication. I told him that I knew he had received this same medication from Rite Aid and that I would be happy to call Rite Aid to confirm. Immediately he changed his story and backed away from my counter.

The longer I work in community pharmacy the sharper my instincts become. Running KASPER reports on everyone would be a big waste, but combined with a pharmacist's ability to sense suspicious activity it can be a great tool to stop drug diversion.