INSIGHT - Summer 2020

Summer 2020 | 24 PDMP/Scriptera Michael Dodd, Pharm.D., R.Ph., CPM, Associate Director of Clinical and Pharmacy Professional Affairs While nearly every state has a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP), not all of the data collected crosses state lines to other pharmacies and healthcare providers. A new partnership between QS/1 and Scriptera will push PDMP information in real time to stakeholders who need to see it. PDMPs have gained substantial traction over the past few years as technology and health policies have evolved. Recent administrations have focused on efforts to combat the opioid crisis and prescription drug abuse as seen with the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), resulting in further advancement and use of PDMPs. As stated in the Health IT Playbook , “Evidence suggests that when PDMP data are readily accessible, prescribers, clinicians, and pharmacists are empowered to take actions that could lead to reductions in the risks of prescription drug opioid abuse and diversion. In this way, use availability of PDMP data in PDMPs can potentially: • Improve prescribing practices • Give clinicians a more complete picture of their patient’s medical history • Reduce “doctor shopping” to obtain prescriptions from multiple clinicians • Reduce rates of abuse (which results in lower rates of admissions for substance use treatment)” 1 Many states have created regulations and policies incentivizing and enhancing PDMP integration and use. Additionally, states have also begun adopting requirements for prescribers and pharmacists to check the PDMP before prescribing or dispensing certain controlled substances. Thus, the necessity of valid PDMP data is of utmost importance when making informed decisions. While PDMPs are one of the most important tools to mitigate drug abuse, lack of uniformity across states results in the following challenges: • Frequency: Data collection frequencies vary from state to state, such as real time, hourly, or end of day • Formats: States may vary on the data format that must be submitted, which affects integration and interoperability. • Repositories: With every state having its own individual repository and lack of central aggregator, sharing data across state lines may be delayed. 2,3 Scriptera’s integration with QS/1 pharmacy management systems aims to fill the gaps and enhance PDMP data – providing PDMP information in real time to all stakeholders. Scriptera offers insight on prescribing habits and percentage of dispenses of controlled substances. It also offers alerts to patients or prescribers with excessive amounts of controlled substance prescriptions, but most importantly, Scriptera’s easy-to use platform can help pharmacists make data-driven decisions based on real-time data. For more information, or to enroll with Scriptera, visit www.scriptera. com/ . Sources: 1, 3 Health IT Playbook. Health Information Technology. 12.18.19. Web. 7.1.20. www. healthit.gov/playbook/opioid-epidemic- and-health-it/#section-4-1 . 2 Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 6.10.20. Web. 7.1.20. www.cdc gov/drugoverdose/pdmp/states.html . QS/1 and Scriptera Partnership: Making Prescription Data More Accessible