Pennsylvania’s New Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Pennsylvania’s prescription drug monitoring program is now active on the State Department of Health website.  As of June 24, 2016, all Schedule II-V dispensed prescriptions must be reported to the PDMP system within 72 hours of being dispensed. Click here for more information.  The laws requirements place additional record keeping and professional conduct and corresponding responsibility requirements on Pharmacists, doctors, and physicians’ assistant.With regard to Pharmacists, I have extensively blogged on Pharmacists’ corresponding responsibility. As per Act 191, The new prescription monitoring database reporting requirements establish Pharmacists legal responsibility of reporting any opiate dispensing to an individual who presents for lawful prescription. The linchpin to Act 191’s reporting responsibilities, Pharmacists reporting sets off a cascade of responsibilities to all other prescription providers. By this I mean medical practitioners are now required to check the prescription database which will contain pharmacy opiate prescription histories. This will preclude physicians in other pharmacist from dispensing multiple opiate prescriptions to drug seek patients.The ABC-MAP Program is intended to increase the quality of patient care by giving prescribers and dispensers access to a patient’s prescription medication history through an electronic system that will alert medical professionals to potential dangers when making treatment determinations. This information may assist in the assessment and referral of treatment  programs, allowing patients to make educated and thoughtful health care decisions. Additionally, the system will aid regulatory and law enforcement agencies in the detection andprevention of fraud, drug abuse and the criminal diversion of controlled substances.Physicians writing prescriptions will now have to establish an office procedure to have their staff check the prescription database to insure their patients are not securing multiple prescriptions, schedule II or otherwise, from multiple providers.  The Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PA PDMP) system is a powerful new tool to help combat the opioid epidemic. With the PA PDMP system, prescribers will be able to easily look up patients’ controlled substance prescription history before prescribing or dispensing. That means no more guesswork.  Eighty percent of heroin users began their battle with drug use by abusing prescription medication. By using the PA PDMP system, you will play a key role in reducing opioid abuse and overdoses.Dispensing practitioners are required to report Schedule II-V controlled substances they dispense to patients within 72 hours of dispensation. This requirement took also effect on June 24, 2016. A Dispensing Practitioner is a medical practitioner that stocks controlled substances and distributes the medication to a patient, who then leaves the facility and is responsible for administering the medication themselves. If you are a dispensing practitioner please visit the dispenser page for instructions on how to report to the new PDMP system.Physicians or their staff positions who do not check the database will expose themselves to professional malpractice liability claims and professional conduct course of care disciplinary action. Physicians involved in heavy pain management practice or are engaged in treating post-surgery patients that require significant opioid prescriptions are required to check the database to insure there is no duplicity in the prescriptions written. It will be very easy to establish between the DEA prescription records, patient Medicaid/Medicare/private insurance billing payments for prescriptions, and the new prescription reporting database which physicians are not complying with their regulatory requirements and carelessly writing opiate prescriptions for the drug seeking patient. Unfortunately the drug addict the patient does not care about the medical professionals liability for professional conduct.Please call me to discuss any contact by any professional Ford investigator regarding prescription drug martyring program lax is. Please call to discuss establishing a professional course of conduct in protocol in your medical practice for pharmacy to inshore compliance with the new regulations.