| Prescription Drug Monitoring Program |
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| Purpose |
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The rate of mortality associated with prescription painkiller drugs has increased steadily in Oregon in recent years. Oregon’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) is a program developed to promote public health and welfare and help improve patient care by providing licensed practitioners and pharmacists a source of information for detecting inappropriate use, abuse and diversion of prescribed controlled substances.
Authenticated and certified providers and prescribers can access the PDMP system to monitor a patient’s prescription drug use. The information is intended to help them manage their patients’ treatment. The information can also help identify patients who can benefit from early assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for drug abuse and addiction.
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| Project Timeline |
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- October 1, 2009 – Legislative review of the program business plan
- February 15, 2010 – Final legislative program review for approval
- July 1, 2010 – Target program implementation date
- July 2011 – First annual report
- July 2012 – Evaluation of the PDMP system
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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What is Oregon’s PDMP?
Oregon’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) is an electronic system operated and maintained by the Department of Human Services (DHS). The system collects data on the dispensation of controlled substances prescribed by a licensed health care provider and provides licensed health care providers and pharmacists a source of information for detecting inappropriate use, abuse and diversion of prescribed controlled substances.
How was this program started?
Senate Bill 355 established a PDMP in Oregon when the governor signed the bill into law in July of 2009.
Do other states have PDMPs?
Yes. Currently 40 states have laws that authorize the establishment and operation of a PDMP.
What is a Controlled Substance?
A Controlled Substance is a drug or chemical that is regulated by the U.S. government’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Which prescription drugs does Oregon’s PDMP monitor?
The program monitors all Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances. For more information on controlled substances, visit the DEA Diversion Control Program website at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/.
Will the program limit access to controlled substances?
No. The program will not prevent people from obtaining needed drugs and will not prevent health care providers from prescribing new drugs to their patients.
What sort of information is collected?
The PDMP will collect information that is already collected by pharmacies – no new data is created. Each time a controlled substance is dispensed, the dispenser is required to submit the following:
Patient information
- First and last names and middle initial
- Date of birth
- Full address
- Drug identification by national drug code number for drug prescribed
- Date drug was prescribed
- Date drug was dispensed
- Quantity of drug dispensed
Pharmacy and practitioner information
- Identification of dispensing pharmacy
- Identification of practitioner who prescribed the drug
Who is required to submit information?
Most pharmacies licensed by the Oregon Board of Pharmacy are required to report data within one week after dispensing specified prescription drugs. Pharmacies that are not required to report their prescriptions are pharmacies in institutions defined in ORS 179.010 (Blue Mountain Recovery Center, the Eastern Oregon Training Center and the Oregon State Hospital) and pharmacies in institutions defined as Department of Corrections institutions in ORS 421.005.
How do I know that my private medical information is secure?
Oregon’s PDMP provides many safeguards to protect patient confidentiality and access to controlled substance prescription information. Direct access to the database is limited to registered and certified health care providers and pharmacists. All other database queries are handled by DHS PDMP staff. All users of the system are authenticated and certified and agree to terms and conditions for accessing and using data on individual patients in their care to assure the confidentiality of patient data.
Records are protected by both federal and state laws, and health care providers and pharmacists must certify that the requested information is for the purpose of evaluating the need for or providing medical or pharmaceutical treatment for a patient. The information in the PDMP may not be used for any commercial purpose.
Who can gain access to the information collected?
Access is limited to:
- Licensed and certified health care providers and pharmacists
- Designated representatives of DHS and any vendor contracted to establish or maintain the electronic system of the PDMP
- Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies engaged in authorized court ordered drug-related investigations
- Certified health professional regulatory boards engaged in the investigation of a member
- Authorized prescription monitoring programs of other states
Can individuals gain access to their own PDMP records?
Yes. Once the system is operational and data has been collected, a patient can make a written request to DHS for a copy of their own individual PDMP record. After an authenticated request has been verified a query will be made and a copy of the record will be mailed to the patient.
Are providers permitted to share information?
Yes. However, this is limited to a health care provider sharing information with other health care providers who are all engaged in an individual patient's care.
Does the DHS PDMP staff track individual consumer usage of controlled substances?
No. The program will monitor distribution patterns by medication, geography, and population demographics.
Are practitioners and pharmacists required to access the PDMP database?
No.
When will the program be operational?
July 1, 2010 is the target date for implementation of the program. The goal is for pharmacies to begin uploading data into the system later that month. Then it will take a few months of data collection before the system will be a useful source of information.
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