Enhancements to the MN Prescription Monitoring Program

Beginning in FY 2002, Congress appropriated funding to the U.S. Department of Justice to support the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Prescription monitoring programs 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. States that have implemented prescription monitoring programs have the capability to collect and analyze prescription data much more efficiently than states without such programs, where the collection of prescription information requires the manual review of pharmacy files, a time-consuming and invasive process.

The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program assists states as they plan, implement, or enhance a PDMP to: 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, identify and address sources of diversion, and increase the number of users of the PDMP; facilitate and participate in national evaluation efforts to assess efficiency and effectiveness; encourage and implement the exchange of information among states to prevent cross-border diversion; assess the efficiency and effectiveness of state-level programs to make improvements and encourage additional states to implement programs; and, enhance collaborations with law enforcement, prosecutors, treatment professionals, the medical community, and pharmacies to establish a comprehensive PDMP strategy.

The grant recipient will use the grant funds to enhance Prescription Monitoring Program with interstate data sharing, education, and analysis. The Prescription Monitoring Program is designed to accomplish the following goals: implement interstate data sharing through the PMIX hub with at least two other states; educate potential and current data requesters in importance and use of the data; and use de-identified data provided by researchers to influence policy.

Minnesota Board of Pharmacy will use the PDMP enhancement grant funds to accomplish the following goals: to improve availability and use of the MN Prescription Monitoring Program (MN PMP) system among authorized prescribers, dispensers, and others who can benefit from the data; create additional opportunities for collaborations; maximize the effectiveness of the MN PMP program through further automation of internal processes; continue to move towards the exchange of PMP information with other states (PMIX) to prevent cross border diversion; and develop a program to ensure compliance in reporting. The key project deliverables are: enhancing the process for MN PMP user online registration by allowing registration at time of initial licensing or licensing renewal; design, develop and implement a comprehensive awareness and training program; evaluate the effectiveness of the MN PMP program; and develop, implement and maintain the PMIX hub capability.

CA/NCF