Prescription Drug History

To help prevent prescription drug abuse and protect the health and safety of Pennsylvania citizens, Pennsylvania’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PA PDMP) collects information on all filled prescriptions for controlled substances. This information helps health care providers safely prescribe controlled substances and helps patients get the treatment they need.

PA PDMP’s new initiative seeks to integrate the PDMP system with the electronic health records (EHRs) and pharmacy management systems of all eligible health care entities in Pennsylvania.

As well, as of July 7, 2017, the Pennsylvania Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is sharing data with 11 other states and D.C. Interstate sharing of data helps prescribers and pharmacists get a more complete picture of their patients’ controlled substance prescription histories, regardless of which state they filled their prescription in.

In New jersey, on May 1, 2017, the emergency rules that went into effect on March 1, 2017 were readopted by the Attorney General and the Board of Medical Examiners. These rules concern limitations on prescribing, administering, or dispensing of controlled dangerous substances, with specific limitations for opioid drugs, and establish special requirements for the management of acute and chronic pain. These limitations and requirements apply to physicians, podiatrists, physician assistants, and certified nurse midwives.

These new rules affect how professional licensees prepare for Mental and Physical Examinations (MPE). The MPE is a compelled medical doctor Drug and Alcohol evaluation investigating a licensee’s potential impairment and continued ability to practice their profession safely. Licensing board orders compelling MPEs require professionals to provide their medical records. The lookback period for medical treatment and care depends on the nature and extent of a licensee’s medical needs.

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Historical surgeries (dental orthopedic, or OB/GYN for example) typically reveal a prescription history. It is these prescriptions of which the MPE expert is interested. The new PA PDMP discussed above is now a means through which the MPE expert (a medical doctor with access to the database) can learn of a licensee’s prescription drug history.

As a medical doctor, the MPE expert has access to licensees’ historic prescription drug use. The MPE medical experts can review the PA PDMP database similar to a treating physician who has a legal obligation to check the PA PDMP before writing a prescription or a pharmacist prior to dispensing a medication. The licensee who does not bring corroborative prescription records or provides a false historical record severely taints their credibility in the MPE.

Call me at 215-665-0766 to discuss your MPE ordered through your Pennsylvania licensing Board.

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