SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- A test that can prevent prescription drug abuse used by PeaceHealth laboratories like the one here in Bellingham is now available nationwide.

Peacehealth this week received its first ever patent for the PtProtect, or Patient Protect, program.

Dr. Stephen Erfurth with Peacehealth labs says unlike a traditional drug test, this test is used to make sure that patients are using their drugs correctly.



He says if doctors find the wrong drugs or the wrong amounts, they can then counsel the patient.

The test uses a tandem mass-spectrometer that can detect minute amounts of up to 38 prescription pain medications or illegal drugs in a patient's urine.

Peacehealth labs have been using the program for more than six years.