Should controlled substances administered in hospitals be reported to KASPER?

In Kentucky, the KASPER (Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting) system is designed to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances. However, the administration of controlled substances within hospitals is treated differently than prescribing and dispensing in outpatient settings.

Controlled substances administered to patients while they are hospitalized do not need to be reported to KASPER. The rationale behind this is that the KASPER system primarily tracks prescriptions that could lead to abuse or misuse, and medications given to patients in a controlled hospital environment are part of a clinical treatment process rather than part of a typical outpatient prescription scenario.

While the hospital must maintain its internal records of medication administration for patient care purposes, reporting to KASPER focuses on prescriptions that are dispensed to patients leaving the healthcare facility. Therefore, the correct answer reflects the specific regulations concerning the administration of medications in a hospital context.