Opioid Data Collection | South Carolina Department of Public Health

Analysis of Emergency Department (ED) Samples

Hospital EDs send urine samples from suspected overdose patients to the SC Public Health Laboratory (PHL) for analysis.
The SC PHL team analyzes the urine samples for fentanyl compounds and other substances such as Xylazine, Benzodiazepines, Stimulants, etc.
An aggregate report is provided back to the hospital where it is shared with community stakeholders to help them better understand trends and develop effective responses.

The SC Public Health Lab (PHL) has partnered with 41 hospitals in 28 different counties.
The team analyzed a total of 17,286 specimens from 2019 to 2023.
In 2023, 44% specimens tested positive for Fentanyl and 31% of specimens that tested positive for Fentanyl contained Xylazine.

Hospitals send opioid overdose ED data to DPH.
The DPH Syndromic Surveillance (SS) team analyzes the data for drug trends and creates alerts for counties with spikes in overdose.
The team shares drug trend data with the Opioid Emergency Response Team (OERT).

The team has partnered with 51 hospitals in 37 counties.
The team developed an internal webpage website that showcases hospital demographic and drug trend data.

The team has developed important infographics using mortality data such as the Xylazine Detection Report.
The team has provided funding to coroner's offices with high number of overdose decedents allowing them to hire staff to help with sending records.

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) is used to rapidly detect suspected overdose outbreaks in real-time
The DPH team helps local-level organizations (coroners’ offices, EMS agencies, treatment centers etc.) register for ODMAP. Using ODMAP, agencies can view overdose data and be alerted to spikes in overdose.

201 organizations across SC are registered to use ODMAP
The ODMAP team has recruited at least one organization from every county
The ODMAP team worked with Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to facilitate automatic data transfer in which EMS overdose data is uploaded automatically into ODMAP.

In 2006, the South Carolina Prescription Monitoring Act was passed, which required DPH to establish and maintain a program to monitor the prescribing of all Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances by professionals licensed to prescribe or dispense these substances in the state. In 2017, a new PDMP law was passed that state practitioners must review a patient’s controlled substance history, as maintained in the prescription monitoring program, before the practitioner issues a prescription for a Schedule II controlled substance.
SCRIPTS (SC Reporting and Identification Prescription Tracking System) is intended to improve the state’s ability to identify and stop diversion of prescription drugs in an efficient and cost-effective manner. SCRIPTS reports show information for controlled substance prescriptions a patient has filled for a specific time period, as well as the prescriber who prescribed them and the dispenser who dispensed them.