A statewide database that allows doctors to guard against drug abuse by monitoring their patients' prescription records will soon be available around the clock.

The latest improvements to Virginia's Prescription Monitoring Program will be financed by a $400,000 federal grant announced Tuesday by Gov. Tim Kaine.

Established in 2003 in response to widespread prescription drug abuse in Southwest Virginia, the program aims to curb "doctor shopping" -- the practice of obtaining drugs from multiple physicians, often by faking symptoms.

If doctors become suspicious about someone, they can use the database to see if the patient has obtained the same prescriptions elsewhere in the state.

The system has received about 11,000 requests for information so far. But because of software limitations, the data is only available during regular business hours.

With the $400,000 grant, the program will be expanded to allow registered users to go online and access the information at any time. That will be especially useful in emergency rooms and 24-hour pharmacies, said Sandra Whitley Ryals, director of the Virginia Department of Health Professions.

Drawn from data submitted by pharmacies, the system now contains records from nearly 15 million prescriptions of commonly abused medications such as methadone, OxyContin, Vicodin and Lortab.

The federal grant comes at a prosperous time for the prescription monitoring program.

In May, federal prosecutors in Roanoke reached a $634.5 million plea agreement with the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma which designated $20 million to the program.

Purdue was convicted of overpromoting OxyContin, a potent painkiller that became widely abused in far Southwest Virginia and led to calls for a prescription monitoring program.

The $20 million from Purdue is expected to fund the system in perpetuity, with the state using the interest to help cover operational costs, Ryals said.

Use of the database is limited to physicians, pharmacists, health care regulators and law enforcement. Police must have already begun an investigation before they can request data on someone; doctors are required to obtain the patient's consent.