UPDATE: Doctors reluctant to prescribe painkillers after security breach

Updated 7:46 p.m.

A state official says there are reports that some doctors are reluctant to prescribe powerful painkillers after an April hacker attack on a massive state-run drug database.

Legislators also learned that the former head of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency was dismissed after refusing to pay a bill from the agency’s contracted partner for work months past due.

Department of Health Professions Director Sandra Ryals told a House committee today that she has reports that some doctors are withholding prescriptions for powerful painkillers.

With the database intended to flag drug abuse and theft still offline, she said, some are being highly cautious about issuing the prescriptions. She said there have been no patient complaints about missing necessary drugs.

She said 35 million of the most sensitive prescription records were accessed on April 30.

Officials still don’t know how many contained Social Security numbers. The state sent 530,000 notices to people earlier this month that critical information may have been compromised.

Earlier:

State officials say people with excruciating pain are unable to receive powerful painkilling drugs they need because of the response to a hacker’s attack on the state prescription drug database.

Two Virginia legislative panels took aim Monday on the state’s troubled computer superagency and its $2 billion, 10-year contract with Northrop Grumman Corporation.

The hacker accessed about 35 million computerized prescription records in late April.

A House panel learned that powerful drugs such as Oxycontin, Valium, Vicodin and Ritalin are being withheld because pharmacists can’t check with the prescription drug database that still allows limited access.

One delegate, Bob Purkey, asked whether the breach was sufficient to cancel or renegotiate the Northrop Grumman contract.