Pharmacy and prescription Drug Monitoring Programs
Addressing Substance Use Disorders with Health IT
Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are one of the most promising tools available to support appropriate opioid prescribing, protect at-risk patients, and inform clinical practice decisions. PDMPs are state-run electronic databases that provide critical health information to physicians and other health care providers about an individual’s history of controlled substance prescriptions.
Advancing and Scaling Health IT Integrations for Improved Opioid Prescribing
ASTP/ONC works on a range of efforts seeking to ensure that the utility and promise of PDMPs is fully realized. ASTP/ONC focuses on improving the integrations that enable critical flow of information to healthcare providers as part of their workflow. Making PDMP information available in health IT systems like EHRs can make it easier for physicians and pharmacists to quickly check a patient’s PDMP report before prescribing or dispensing prescription pain medications.
Health IT Playbook
Advancing PDMP and EHR Integration
From 2018 to 2022, as part of efforts to support the use of health IT in response to the drug overdose epidemic, ASTP/ONC and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated on the Advancing PDMP and EHR Integration project. The purpose of this project was to advance and scale vendor agnostic PDMP integrations with health IT systems in a variety of hospital, primary care, and outpatient settings. Specific goals of the project included:
- Testing and refine standards-based, non-proprietary approaches to enable effective integration of state PDMP data into healthcare system EHRs, including integration into clinical workflows
- Identifying and advance promising vendor-agnostic approaches that support scalability and sustainability of PDMP – health systems integration
- Exploring emerging, vendor-agnostic technical solutions to enhance access and use of PDMP data
- Compiling lessons learned and best practices that can be translated into vendor-agnostic, non-proprietary technical resources for states and health systems
As an output of this effort, ASTP/ONC and CDC produced an Integration Framework and an Integration Toolkit to serve as technical resources to other organizations interested in integrations. The Integration Framework provides guidance to healthcare systems and relevant stakeholders to support successful project execution, management and communications for health IT integrations related to PDMPs and clinical decision support for opioid prescribing.
View the Integration Framework
Unpacking the PDMP-EHR Integration Toolkit
PDMP Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC’s guiding principles and priorities create a flexible framework to help the Division of Overdose Prevention address the constantly evolving overdose epidemic, ensuring that all Americans are as healthy as possible. Many resources, including the Electronic Clinical Decision Support Tools: Opioid Prescribing, is available. Overdose Prevention
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Technical Assistance Center (PDMP TTAC)
PDMP TTAC provides a comprehensive array of services, support, resources and strategies to PDMPs, federal partners and other stakeholders to further the efforts and effectiveness of PDMPs in combating the misuse and diversion of prescription drugs.
