Alabama Board of Medical Examiners cites PDMP history in complaint

Here is an example of the Board of Medical Examiners using PDMP history in the complaint process resulting in the practice shutting down. The record of PDMP checks is there, and a few states are starting to look at their mandated use requirements and the gaps between prescriptions written and PDMP checks done.

This transactional history is part of the state PDMP and can be used now or much later to support complaints.

How do you show your compliance to mandated use?

Always check the medical record… and a prescription drug monitoring database.

Federation of State Medical Boards

Thirteen multi-state PDMP projects were sponsored in 2012-13. While providers indicated that PDMPs gave them more confidence for prescribing pain medication, the study concluded that the easier the data is to obtain, the more they will be used, and the safer the practice can be.

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services AdministrationOffice of the National Coordinator for Health IT, & MITRE Corp

When a clinician is prescribing a controlled substance, readily available information about the drugs that a patient is receiving from other providers can be a critically important component of the decision-making process…Increasingly, these [PDMP] programs have evolved into a useful tool for the clinician who must incorporate careful risk management into the prescribing of opioid analgesics or any other controlled substance.

Increasingly, these programs have evolved into a useful tool f…

Editorial Pain Medicine, The American Academy of Pain Medicine; 2011;12:845

Attention to patterns of prescription requests and the prescribing of opioids as part of an ongoing relationship between a patient and a healthcare provider can decrease the risk of diversion. Periodic review of state PDMP, where available, is also a useful tool to monitor compliance. Evaluation should initially include…a drug history… Documentation is essential.

February 2013 American Academy of Pain Medicine

The AAOS recommends the following tools, which have been shown to significantly reduce medication errors:

computerized physician order entry

computerized decision support systems

computerized monitoring of adverse drug events

pharmacist-assisted rounds

high-risk drug protocols

Overdose deaths are “just the tip of the iceberg”: that for every death there are many more hospital treatment admissions, emergency room visits, people who abuse or are dependent on prescripti…

American Psychological Association

Doctors (and other clinicians) need to know what prescriptions have been given to their patients by other practitioners. This information should be included in the patients’ electronic health care records accessible through a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) that provides immediate information.

Presentation by the Dir., Div. of Epidemiology NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse, May 2013

The abuse of opioid pain medication has a devastating impact on public health and safety in this country, killing 46 people every day… Prescription Drug poisoning deaths – now over 30,000/yr – outnumber deaths from motor vehicle crashes.

National Center for Health Statistics/CDC

The use of PDMPs…is helping to reduce misuse of prescription drugs.

PDMP Center of Excellence at Brandeis University, February 2014 Briefing

An improved PDMP … with accurate and timely data analysis should be regarded as the cornerstone of our collective efforts to address prescription drug abuse.

Department of Public Health

The CDC advises providers to use PDMPs… States should consider ways to increase their use … available real-time, and alerts to prescribers.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Whenever possible, orthopaedic surgeons should request and review old medical records and speak with the patient’s primary physician about past medication problems. Currently, states have Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs designed to assist law enforcement in the identification of doctor shoppers; these data are also accessible to physicians.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Now, March 2014

The use of PDMPs…is helping to reduce misuse of prescription drugs.

PDMP Center of Excellence at Brandeis University, February 2014 Briefing

Attention to patterns of prescription requests and the prescribing of opioids as part of an ongoing relationship between a patient and a healthcare provider can decrease the risk of diversion. Periodic review of state PDMP, where available, is also a useful tool to monitor compliance. Evaluation should initially include…a drug history… Documentation is essential.

February 2013 American Academy of Pain Medicine

A study was conducted to estimate the societal costs of prescription opioid abuse, dependence, and misuse in the United States. Costs were grouped into three categories: health care, workplace, and criminal justice.

The results: Total US societal costs of prescription opioid abuse were estimated at $55.7 billion in 2007 (USD in 2009). Workplace costs accounted for $25.6 billion, health care costs accounted for $25.0 billion, and criminal justice costs accounted for $5.1 billion. Workplace costs were driven by lost earnings from premature death ($11.2 billion) and reduced compensation/lost employment ($7.9 billion).

Conclusions: The costs of prescription opioid abuse represent a substantial and growing economic burden for the society. The increasing prevalence of abuse suggests an even greater societal burden in the future.

Pain Medicine, Volume 12, Issue 4, April 2011

The AAOS recommends the following tools, which have been shown to significantly reduce medication errors:

computerized physician order entry

computerized decision support systems

computerized monitoring of adverse drug events

pharmacist-assisted rounds

high-risk drug protocols

Overdose deaths are “just the tip of the iceberg”: that for every death there are many more hospital treatment admissions, emergency room visits, people who abuse or are dependent on prescription drugs and nonmedical users.

American Psychological Association

The CDC advises providers to use PDMPs… States should consider ways to increase their use … available real-time, and alerts to prescribers.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

An improved PDMP … with accurate and timely data analysis should be regarded as the cornerstone of our collective efforts to address prescription drug abuse.

Department of Public Health

The abuse of opioid pain medication has a devastating impact on public health and safety in this country, killing 46 people every day… Prescription Drug poisoning deaths – now over 30,000/yr – outnumber deaths from motor vehicle crashes.

National Center for Health Statistics/CDC

Doctors (and other clinicians) need to know what prescriptions have been given to their patients by other practitioners. This information should be included in the patients’ electronic health care records accessible through a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) that provides immediate information.

Presentation by the Dir., Div. of Epidemiology NIH, National Institute on Drug Abuse, May 2013

Prescribing or dispensing to an abuser, diverter, misuser or ‘doctor shopper’ puts the provider, their practice and or institution, as well as the patients at high risk.

Although relieving pain and reducing suffering are primary emergency physician responsibilities, there is a concurrent duty to limit the personal and societal harm that can result from prescription drug misuse and abuse.

ACEP Annals of Emergency Medicine 525

About
Latest Posts

David Stengle

Chief Marketing Officer at Prescription Advisory

David is Prescription Advisory's Chief Marketing Officer. Software startups are his passion.

He also serves as the Director of Startup Grind Princeton and a mentor for the Princeton University eLab.

Latest posts by David Stengle (see all)

PastRx Partners with athenahealth’s ‘More Disruption Please’ Program to Fight Substance Use Disorder Epidemic - August 22, 2017
Treating patients with opioid disorders is not just about treating addiction. Here’s why. - June 26, 2017
How often do you check your PDMP? - June 20, 2017

Alabama Board of Medical Examiners cites PDMP history in complaint

David Stengle

Latest posts by David Stengle (see all)

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Request a PastRx Demo

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Contact PastRx

Thank you! A Prescription Advisory representative will contact you shortly.