As overdoses soared, nearly 35 billion opioids -- half of distributed pills -- handled by 15 percent o

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2. It should be easier to clamp down on all types of providers.

Before I retired I worked with the payment system for Medicaid. I know that for about 10 years every provider in the Medicaid system has to have a National Provider Identifer (NPI). Doctors, clinics, hospitals, pharmacy's, any one who prescribes or fulfills any kind of medical care has a NPI number. The NPI numbers are used everywhere on the claims submitted and paid.

It really can't difficult to track quickly who is suddenly prescribing more pain killers, who is filling the most prescriptions for pain killers. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services should have been on this years ago.

What I'm not sure of....
I haven't worked with Medicare payments, but I would think those providers have NPI numbers also. If a prescription isn't paid for by Medicaid, Medicare or insurance the pharmacy might have to provide their NPI when ordering from distribution centers.