Correspondence

Misuse of DEA Numbers

N Engl J Med 1997; 337:1478-1479November 13, 1997

Article

To the Editor:

The issuing of a certificate of registration by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the U.S. Department of Justice is a privilege granted only to physicians for the purposes of prescribing controlled medications (narcotics) and syringes and needles (in some states only). In my experience, the DEA number has, until recently, always been required appropriately by pharmacists when they dispense controlled medications.

The DEA number is now being used as a physician identifier by pharmacies, suppliers of durable medical equipment, providers of paraprofessional services, and insurance companies for reimbursement purposes. Indeed, the DEA number is used to obtain access to Physicians Online.

I believe it is wrong to use the DEA number as a physician identifier. With this policy the DEA number could fall into the hands of people who sell and use drugs illicitly. They could use the number in forged prescriptions. It has been recommended that the DEA number not be preprinted on prescription pads because of the possibility that stolen pads would be used for fraudulent prescriptions. Since the patterns of prescribing controlled substances by physicians are monitored, the expanded use of the DEA number may also result in accounting errors. It is especially important now to restrict the use of the DEA number as originally intended, because physicians are being called upon to provide more liberal pain management for end-of-life care and palliation in hospice settings.

A physician's state license certificate number, unique physician identification number (UPIN), or physician identification number (PIN) have been suggested as alternative ways to identify a practicing medical doctor.

Leonard J. Morse, M.D.
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, New Bedford, MA 02740