CT PDMP Enhancement Grant

Since the beginning of FY 2002, Congress has appropriated funding to the U.S. Department of Justice to support the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Prescription drug monitoring programs enhance the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials to collect and analyze controlled substance prescription data through a centralized database administered by an authorized state agency. These programs are designed to help prevent and detect the diversion and abuse of pharmaceutical controlled substances, particularly at the retail level where no other automated information collection system exists.

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program assists states as they plan, implement, or enhance a PDMP. PDMPs: build a state-level data collection and analysis system to enhance the capacity of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials for future prevention efforts; enhance existing programs' abilities to analyze and use collected data to identify drug abuse trends and increase the number of users of the PDMP; facilitate national evaluation efforts to ensure continued support; encourage the exchange of information among states to prevent cross-border diversion; assess the efficiency and effectiveness of programs to ensure continued state-level support; and, enhance collaborations with law enforcement, prosecutors, treatment professionals, the medical community, and pharmacies to establish a comprehensive PDMP strategy.

The goals of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection's PDMP project are to significantly enhance the state's ability to refer cases to pain management and addiction specialists and to enhance the ability of the Department and law enforcement to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals engaged in the diversion of pharmaceutical controlled substances within the state and across state lines. The Department will conduct two statewide educational campaigns, one targeting prescribers and pharmacists and one targeting the general public. The prescribers and pharmacists campaign will provide information on the state's new monitoring and reporting system and emphasize that the program will assist in detecting and preventing prescription drug abuse, provide improved patient care, and increase the accuracy of medical records. The general public campaign will emphasize the importance of locking up prescription drugs and will focus on the safe storage and disposal of prescription medication, the warning signs of prescription drug abuse, and treatment resources. The Department will upgrade its PDMP system by streamlining the registration process and adding a reporting module and analytic software. The Department also plans to participate in the IJIS Data Exchange Project to allow them to work closely with other states to identify potential drug traffickers.

CA/NCF