Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS)

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 Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS) is part of the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (ADAP) of the Department of Health (DOH), one of six departments organized under the Agency of Human Services. A recent strategic planning effort has focused on creating an accountable, community-based system of care and support that allows Vermonters to enhance resiliency, wellness, and recovery by becoming active participants in self-management. The Division's goals include: transforming Vermont's system into a recovery-oriented system of care; ensuring the availability of timely services at the appropriate level in collaboration with existing community partnerships; defining the competencies needed to support a recovery-oriented system of care, and offer the programs to develop these competencies.

The work of ADAP is critical to the success of the VPMS in terms of reducing abuse and addiction. On the treatment side, the VPMS data will help a provider to identify patients who need treatment for drug abuse or addiction. The services must be available so that the provider has the support services they need. The ADAP Prevention Office will be central to moving the VPMS information into the community. Beyond that, ADAP will be working with community partners to create programs and services to sustain patients once they have entered recovery. The VPMS will play an important role in informing communities about the extent of drug use and abuse in their geographic areas so that appropriate prevention support services can be directed towards the identified needs.

CA/NCF