Opioid Turmoil: Addressing the Link between PDMPs and e-Prescribing

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With a nationwide opioid epidemic upon us, states are starting to insist that prescribers conduct a bit of research before writing prescriptions for addictive medications like pain medications or benzodiazepines. States have therefore created statewide Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) to monitor an individuals’ controlled substance dispense trends which are meant to assist a prescriber in making smarter treatment decisions. The goal here is to check a patient’s medication history to determine if the patient is doctor shopping or if they may have potential complications with medication(s) they are taking or have taken. Ultimately, PDMPs aid a prescriber in understanding the risks involved in prescribing these powerful medications for their patients.

“Databases known as Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs show doctors all controlled-substance prescriptions patients get and should be linked with the electronic health records (EHRs) that allow doctors to e-Prescribe.” USA Today

In most states, healthcare professionals who prescribe at least one controlled substance are encouraged, not required, to use PDMPs. The USA Today article addresses the fact that only five states promote the use of PDMPs and less than 20% of doctors use the databases when it isn’t required. On the other hand, e-Prescribing of controlled substances has proven to be an effective tool in combating this crisis, yet only three states have mandated the use of e-Prescribing, and one doesn’t enforce its own law.

Click here to learn more about e-Prescribing and how to stay ahead of this opioid crisis

All 50 States (and D.C) have now passed legislation allowing the e-Prescribing of both controlled and non-controlled substances, which is a drastic change from only a few years ago with federal regulations prohibiting the e-Prescribing of controlled substances.

Let’s take a look at the states that have mandated e-Prescribing:

New York: The first state to mandate and enforce its e-Prescribing laws as of March 2016, New York requires prescribers to check their state PDMP database and prescribers who continue to write paper prescriptions are subject to fines, jail time, or both. Since implementing, total numbers of opioid analgesics prescribed fell by 78%.

Minnesota: Technically the first state to deploy mandatory e-Prescribing, they currently do not enforce the use of such technology. The MN Department of Health recently reported that drug overdose deaths jumped 11% between 2014 and 2015 and more than half were related to prescription drugs, specifically opioid pain relievers, rather than illegal street drugs. Minnesota Health Commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger said, “The new data show the need for a broader approach to addressing the root causes of drug addiction and overdoses.” Stay tuned.

Maine: Experiencing one of the highest death rates in the country due to opioid overdose, Maine recently mandated e-Prescribing for schedule II controlled substances and will be put into effect come June 2017. Similar to New York, prescribers will face fines, jail time, or both if they choose to utilize paper prescription pads.

New Jersey is also on the horizon to mandate e-Prescribing in due time. As a collective nation, we can no longer sit back and overlook the link between opioid overprescribing and opioid overdose. E-Prescribing and PDMPs should work hand in hand; the benefits are exceedingly visible and with 3-9% of opioid abusers using forged written prescriptions, it’s a commonsense solution. Protect your company, protect your providers, but more importantly, protect your patients. They depend on it.

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

Congress, Dentists, and the Opioid Crisis: Is Good, Good Enough?

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As the opioid epidemic continues and more policies have recently been implemented to curb this crisis, it seems that a crucial piece of the puzzle is missing: mandatory electronic prescribing. Like Devon Herrick mentions in his latest post, e-Prescribing is a commonsense solution for an issue that isn’t slowing down in the United States. Now is the time for Congress to step up and take advantage of solutions that are not only available, but approved and certified by the DEA. It’s clear that efforts to prevent and treat the opioid epidemic will fall short without additional investments and while states have implemented Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), they’re not mandatory and the ability to further capture data will undoubtedly be a pivotal cornerstone while facing this epidemic and for several reasons. With electronic prescribing:

1. A prescriber can track a patient’s medication history and make smarter treatment decisions, i.e. doctor shopping, recent prescriptions filled, and drug-to-drug and drug-to-allergy interactions.
2. There is no more need for paper prescriptions, therefore no more interpreting messy handwriting, no more altered dispense quantities, and no more stolen prescription pads.
3.  A significant decline will occur relative to the rate of fraud, resale and abuse of opioids because e-Prescribing secures all information exchanges from diversion.

Electronic prescribing has been utilized by doctors for a few years now, but the e-Prescribing of controlled substances is last to hop on the bandwagon. Until recently, federal regulations prohibited e-prescribing of controlled substances due to perceived risks, however electronic prescribing diminishes these elements of risk.

Click here to learn more about e-Prescribing and start saving time and money today!

Since New York mandated that all prescriptions must be sent electronically, dentists in particular, have seen a vast change in the number of opioid prescriptions: “In a study of dentists, within a few months after iSTOP was implemented in New York, opioid prescriptions fell by about half, from 31 percent of dental visits before iSTOP to 14 percent in the following three months. The quantity of pills per prescription also fell. The total numbers of opioid analgesics prescribed fell by three-quarters (78 percent).”

Whether it’s mandated or not, the numbers don’t lie – electronic prescribing proves to be the smarter and safer force as we battle opioid addiction. Congress, take note.

Sources: National Center for Policy Analysis; PLOS; National Safety Council; NPR; Congress

About DoseSpot DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.DoseSpot.com.

E-Prescribing 101

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Electronic prescribing is not just the ability to send prescriptions electronically to pharmacies. E-Prescribing can also increase care quality in a number of ways:

• E-prescribing makes sure that the prescriber is providing enough specific information for the pharmacist to fill the prescription, including the name of the drug, the dosage, its physical form, the route, and the physician’s instructions.
• Electronic prescribing software eliminates the time and effort of trying to understand the prescriber’s handwriting, as well as the chance of an error in that translation.
• E-prescribing significantly reduces the chance that the prescriber’s intentions are misinterpreted.
• E-prescribing is often used in conjuction with clinical decision support to ensure that any drug to drug interactions or drug to diagnosis issues are found and reported to the physician before the prescription order is completed.

Electronic prescribing is considered one of the most important areas of Healthcare IT, which is why Medicare created payment incentives for physicians who use a qualified e-prescribing system. In 2009, the incentives are an increase of 2% in revenue for each patient when e-prescribing is used. Due to the 2009 HITECH Act, electronic prescribing is required as part of any EMR (EHR) which qualifies for Medicare reimbursement in 2011.