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DEA – Office of Diversion Control Launched the Suspicious Orders Report System

Public Policy

Disclaimer: This blog article was written by an AdvancedMD partner. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of AdvancedMD.

On October 23, 2019, DEA launched the Suspicious Orders Report System (SORS) online, a new centralized database required by the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (SUPPORT Act, Pub. L. 115-271). Reporting a suspicious order to the centralized database established by DEA (SORS online) constitutes compliance with the reporting requirement under 21 U.S.C. 832(a)(3). All registrants who distribute controlled substances (within the meaning of 21 U.S.C. 802(11)) are required to design and operate a system to identify suspicious orders and notify DEA of suspicious orders. 21 U.S.C. 832(a). This obligation applies to all registrants if they distribute controlled substances, including the following:

  • Distributor
  • Manufacturer
  • Importer
  • Pharmacy
  • Hospital/Clinic
  • Teaching Institution
  • Practitioner
  • Mid-Level Practitioner
  • Mid-Level Practitioner-Ambulance Service
  • Researcher
  • Analytical Lab
  • Narcotic Treatment Program (NTP)

The SUPPORT Act states the term “suspicious order” may include, but is not limited to: an order of a controlled substance of unusual size; an order of a controlled substance deviating substantially from a normal pattern, and; orders of controlled substances of unusual frequency. Reporting SORS to the Administrator of the DEA and the Special Agent in Charge of the Division Office of the DEA for the area in which the registrant is located or conducts business local DEA Field Office and DEA Headquarters, or to DEA’s centralized database, satisfies the requirement to report such orders to the Administrator of the DEA and the Special Agent in Charge of the Division Office of the DEA for the area in which the registrant is located or conducts business. 21 U.S.C. 832.

DEA registrants that are ARCOS online and ARCOS EDI reporters should utilize their current ARCOS log on information to access the system. DEA registrants that are not currently ARCOS reporters may register on the website in order to report SORS to DEA’s centralized database. The registration process is as follows:

  1. Go to https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/arcos-online and click on “SORS Registration (for Non-ARCOS Reporters)” hyperlink.
  2. After completing the initial registration, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address provided.
  3. Once DEA approves the registration, another e-mail will be sent with a temporary password.
  4. Go to https://apps2.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/arcos-online and type in your username and the temporary password. The system will require you to change the temporary password.
  5. Upon successfully changing the password, the account will be fully registered to report to the SORS online system.

For more information, contact [email protected].



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Michael Brody, DPM
Dr. Brody has been actively involved in computers and medicine since the 1980s. He is a Residency Director at a VA hospital located in Long Island, NY. Notably, he was present as the VA moved from paper records to computerized records. During this time, he was exposed to the stringent rules and regulations that government employees must adhere to when protecting patient information. He co-founded TLD Systems with Warren Melnick. They wanted to create a platform for private practice doctors that provides a cost-effective method of implementing HIPAA compliance in their practices. He has served on the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP), the Standards and Interoperability Framework (S&I), as a member of the Ambulatory Care Committee at the Certification Commission on Health Information Technology (CCHIT), and numerous other organizations. He is currently a member of the Physicians Committee at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and a co-chair of the EHR workgroup at Health Level Seven International (HL7). He co-founded TLD Systems with Warren Melnick to create a platform that doctors who wish to work in private practice have a cost-effective method of implementing HIPAA compliance in their practices in a manner that does not interfere with their ability to practice medicine. He has served on the Health Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP), the Standards and Interoperability Framework (S&I), as a member of the Ambulatory Care Committee at the Certification Commission on Health Information Technology (CCHIT), and numerous other organizations. He is currently a member of the Physicians Committee at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and a co-Chair of the EHR workgroup at Health Level Seven International (HL7)

Topic: Public Policy


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