NarxCare® FAQ
At Bamboo Health, we understand that discussions about tools like NarxCare can generate questions—especially in an environment where misinformation can spread easily. This FAQ is designed to provide clear, accurate and transparent information about NarxCare: what it is, how it works and how it supports healthcare professionals. Whether you’re a patient or simply someone looking to understand more about this platform, we hope the answers offer helpful context and clarity.
What is NarxCare?
NarxCare is a platform that provides a set of data, visualizations and analytics that are intended to support prescribers’ and dispensers’ review of controlled substance data from government-managed and regulated Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs).
What is the goal of NarxCare?
At Bamboo Health, we believe that every patient deserves to be treated with compassion, respect and the appropriate clinical care. The goal of NarxCare is to support clinicians’ review of PDMP data directly within their clinical workflows.
NarxCare and its components were developed with the unique and nuanced needs of patients who experience chronic pain in mind. NarxCare can be used to support healthcare professionals’ review of dispensation information from PDMPs. While we believe that providing healthcare professionals with more data is critical to making informed medical decisions, decisions about patient care should be left up to healthcare professionals.
What are the components of NarxCare?
The NarxCare platform provides data, visualizations and analytics. NarxCare provides PDMP data in a visual and interactive format to help healthcare professionals access and evaluate the data. Analytic components include the ORS and Narx Scores.
What is the ORS?
The ORS is a three-digit value ranging from 000 to 999. It’s derived from a logistic regression model that utilizes historical PDMP data to evaluate 10 different inputs from the patient’s PDMP data. ORS highlights key characteristics and makes a correlative summary of an individual’s exposure as compared to exposures of individuals who had an unintentional overdose death.
The ORS does not predict whether a patient will experience an unintentional overdose death now or in the future.
The ORS requires review by a healthcare professional exercising their independent clinical judgment in the context of a patient’s medical history. The ORS should not be used as the sole justification for providing or not providing medications. It does not provide specific preventive, diagnostic or treatment directives.
What are Narx Scores?
NarxCare provides three substance-specific (i.e, narcotics, sedatives and stimulants) analytic exposure summary scores, collectively called Narx Scores. Narx Scores derive from a percentile-ranked descriptive statistics approach for controlled substance use (i.e., narcotics, sedatives, stimulants) comparing individual patients to their home state’s PDMP population.
Where does the PDMP information in NarxCare come from?
The information provided by NarxCare is obtained from government-managed and regulated PDMPs.
What information is on a Patient Report in NarxCare?
Patient Reports contain controlled substance dispensation data from government-managed and regulated PDMPs. They do not include information about how a patient is using medication, only what medications are being dispensed.
Should patients be denied medication solely based on the information presented with NarxCare?
No. NarxCare is intended to aid, not replace, medical decision-making. None of the information presented in the NarxCare application should be used as sole justification for providing or not providing medications.
What should a patient do if they believe they were denied medication inappropriately?
If a patient believes they are being denied medication inappropriately, they can speak with their healthcare provider about the provider’s prescribing decisions. In addition, a patient can contact their state’s PDMP admin or their state’s medical board if they believe they are wrongly being denied a controlled substance by their provider.
Does NarxCare stigmatize patients?
No. NarxCare is intended to provide PDMP data to support more informed prescribing and dispensing practices, not to label or stigmatize patients. The information within a patient’s report is one piece of the larger clinical picture that includes patient history, a healthcare professional’s interactions with the patient and more.
I’ve heard that the ORS and NarxCare is a “black box” with little transparency. Can you tell me more?
At Bamboo Health, it’s imperative that we are transparent with our clients, so they understand NarxCare and its components and use it as intended. We make comprehensive information about NarxCare available to our clients in a transparent manner. This includes algorithm inputs and weighting.
Does the ORS (or any component of NarxCare) predict the possibility of overdose death?
No, NarxCare does not predict if someone will experience an unintentional overdose death now or in the future. The ORS is intended to help enhance healthcare professionals’ awareness of potential patterns that may exist in their patients’ PDMP data that may have similarities to other patients who have died from an unintentional overdose.
Does the ORS act like a credit score, where higher scores mean higher risk?
No. Credit scores are predictive tools. The ORS does not predict if someone will experience an unintentional overdose death. The ORS can be used by prescribers and dispensers as an indicator to guide further review of details in the patient’s dispensation history while attending to their patients. Importantly, other patient-centric factors, such as mental health conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, dementia), substance use conditions, respiratory conditions, hepatic and renal conditions and history of overdose, may influence unintentional overdose death but are not incorporated in the PDMP data used to calculate the ORS.
Does NarxCare contain criminal history, medical claims, sexual assault history and/or electronic health record data?
No, neither NarxCare nor any of its components has ever contained this type of data. NarxCare provides information contained within government-managed and regulated PDMPs.
Do patients typically have a high ORS?
A patient’s ORS may range from 000-999. Although the distribution will vary based on the data available within the PDMP, about 90% of patients have an ORS between 000-399.
Can law enforcement access the information within NarxCare?
NarxCare is not intended for law enforcement use. However, decisions on access to PDMP data are made by the state, not Bamboo Health. PDMP data is only accessible to state-authorized end users.
Can patients access NarxCare?
Patients cannot access NarxCare directly, as it can only be accessed by the state’s authorized users. Access by authorized users is managed by state administrators. However, patients can request a copy of their PDMP data from their state’s PDMP administrator. This PDMP information is the information used within NarxCare.
Can Are there any non-US NarxCare clients?
No, all NarxCare licensees are US-based.
How does Bamboo Health protect data privacy?
Bamboo Health prioritizes data security and patient privacy. We follow strict compliance measures and state regulations to ensure that PDMP data is protected. Any concerns about privacy policies should be directed to state health officials, as they govern PDMP use and access.
If someone believes there is incorrect or inaccurate information in NarxCare, how can they get it corrected?
NarxCare provides PDMP data. If there is incorrect data in the state’s PDMP, a patient or their provider can contact their state’s PDMP administrator to request that it be corrected.
How many states use NarxCare?
Today, more than 20 states use NarxCare.
How many major retail pharmacy companies use NarxCare?
Five of the six major pharmacy retailers currently use NarxCare.
How many states use Bamboo Health to run their prescription drug monitoring programs?
More than 40 U.S. states and territories partner with Bamboo Health as their PDMP vendor. This does not necessarily mean that these states and territories use NarxCare.
CAUTION / IMPORTANT REMINDER: NarxCare is an application that provides a set of data, visualizations and analytics to support prescribers’ and dispensers’ review of controlled substance data from government-managed and regulated Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs). NarxCare is intended to aid, not replace, medical decision-making. None of the information presented in NarxCare should be used as sole justification for providing or not providing medications.