In-workflow PDMP checking saves time, increases efficiency

As of Jan. 1, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island now require prescribers to sign and transmit e-prescriptions for controlled substances.

As e-prescribing requirements gain traction, so does the mandated use of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs).

A PDMP is a state-run electronic database that collects and monitors prescriptions for controlled substances in the United States. The government uses the data to reduce prescription drug abuse and diversion.

IN-WORKFLOW PDMP CHECKING

Greenway now offers in-workflow PDMP checking via e-prescribing solution EPCS Gold.

With the release of PDMP access for both Intergy and Prime Suite, a process that took 4.6 minutes through a third-party website now takes 1.5 minutes within the EPCS workflow. This access is available for purchase through My Greenway.

When providers can view prescription histories without having to connect to another system, they save time and increase efficiency. EPCS users average a 67% time savings.

Several funded states prepaid the license fee with technology company Appriss for their providers. Practices in these states pay only a one-time setup fee. Non-funded states, meanwhile, have not prepaid any license fees for their providers. 

PDMPs can track opioid prescribing and protect patients at risk, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website. In addition, state health departments can use the data “to understand the behavior of the epidemic and inform and evaluate interventions.”

A NATIONAL HEALTH CRISIS

The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 130 people in the United States die every day from an opioid overdose. Misuse of and addiction to opioids — including prescription opioids, as well as heroin and synthetic opioids — has become a national crisis.

Dr. Powen Hsu, founder of New Era Medicine, a Greenway client since 2007, said, “My goal has always been to treat each patient and serve the community that’s right next to me.”