What is a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, EHR Integration?

Prescribers use a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) each time they write a prescription as part of the industry’s efforts to stem the opioid crisis.

These EHR-integrated systems, which plug into a larger database, give prescribers a better understanding of a patient’s full prescription drug history.

PDMPs are state-run electronic databases utilized in every state across the country, outside of Missouri. The program assembles pharmacy and patient data from Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) controlled substances and prescription drugs. PDMPs help prescribers keep track of patients at high risk of becoming opioid-dependent.

These efforts come as healthcare continues to stare down a significant opioid problem. Opioid overdose rates quadrupled between 1999 and 2015, but health IT experts say an integrated PDMP could help clinicians mitigate the epidemic.