Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) play a pivotal role in controlled substance prescribing and dispensation. Prescribers, dispensers and state agencies rely on accurate prescription data to combat our country’s opioid crisis and save millions of lives. As the industry learns more about PDMP and EPCS (electronic prescribing of controlled substances) use, the efficacy and importance of this technology comes to the forefront of the conversation.
New studies from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have found one-third of prescribers now access PDMPs via their electronic health records (EHRs), and 62% reported using EPCS often, marking a 25% increase from 2019.
Some other insightful highlights from the report include:
- Between 2019 and 2021, the use of PDMP remained stable with 65% of physicians reporting they checked the PDMP “often” prior to prescribing controlled substances to a patient for the first time in 2021.
- The percentage of physician prescribers who accessed the PDMP through their EHR over a portal or secure website increased by 62% between 2019 and 2021.
- Hospitals that experienced major public health reporting challenges in 2019 were less likely to be engaged in certain types of electronic public health reporting in 2021.
- Most physicians who checked their state’s PDMP reported experiencing at least one benefit associated with use.
Overall, the findings confirm a positive trend in PDMP use and prove the technology is a critical tool in fighting the country’s opioid crisis.
This report also shines a light on why many clinicians have not consistently used PDMPs in the past – lack of data integration. Without PDMP data directly integrated into existing clinical workflows, prescribers and dispensers may forego checking the system due to administrative burdens.
“The use of (PDMPs) and electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) technology is critical to improving opioid prescribing practices, informing treatment decisions and supporting safe and effective patient care. … It is important to ensure that integration drives value by embedding data in clinician workflows and powering actionable decision support tools to combat the opioid crisis.” – Chelsea Richwine and Jordan Everson
At Bamboo Health, we provide Real-Time Care Intelligence™ that helps care team members quickly and efficiently access PDMP data at the point of care.
PMP AWARxE, our real-time controlled substance visibility solution, helps providers easily find and enter relevant prescription drug data to ensure patient safety at every corner. Our PMP Gateway solution integrates multi-state PDMP intelligence into existing clinical workflows, so providers have a full picture of a patient’s prescribing history – solving another common issue of not being able to access multi-state data. More than 1 million clinicians at 158-thousand facilities with PMP Gateway integration receive PDMP reports within their workflow, saving approximately 5.2 million hours every month through improved workflow efficiencies. Bamboo Health is committed to improving access to PDMP data. Our solutions provide real-time insights when providers need it most so they can efficiently ensure patient safety and maintain compliance.
This new information from the ONC provides great insight into how critical of a role PDMP technology can be when improving prescribing and dispensing practices and reflects Bamboo Health’s mission. Data that arms prescribers and dispensers with more information at the point of care can truly help save lives.
Bamboo Health can help your prescribers and dispensers make more-informed clinical decisions to prevent substance misuse. Most states are now funding integration via PMP Gateway for all qualified healthcare entities. Learn if your state is one of them. Want to dig deeper? Contact us today.
