State of Alaska PDMP Implementation and Enhancement Project

The Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) is being incorporated into the FY 2017 Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program. The purpose of this program is to improve collaboration and strategic decision-making of regulatory and law enforcement agencies and public health officials to address prescription drug and opioid misuse, save lives, and reduce crime. This is made possible through the collection and analysis of controlled substance prescription data and other scheduled chemical products through a centralized database administered by an authorized state agency. The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based program was developed as part of the CARA legislation signed into law on July 22, 2016. In FY 2017, the Implementation and Enhancement Projects category of funding available through the PDMP grant program will provide funding and technical assistance to state governments that have a pending or enacted enabling statute or regulation requiring the submission of controlled substance prescription data to an authorized state agency. Funding must be used for mandatory national meetings in Washington, D.C.; work closely with BJA’s designated training and technical assistance (TTA) provider(s); any applicant that requests funds to implement information sharing with other state PDMPs must use technical solutions that are compliant with the National PMIX Architecture. In addition, grant funds may also be used to support a combination of the allowable use categories to establish or enhance a PDMP system; facilitate the exchange of information and collected prescription data and other scheduled chemical products among states; develop a training program for system users; produce and disseminate educational materials; support collaborations with law enforcement, prosecutors, public health officials, treatment providers, and/or drug courts; facilitate electronic information sharing among states in compliance with the National PMIX Architecture; expand monitoring to Schedules II, III, IV, and V; improve the quality and accuracy of PDMP data; develop or enhance the capacity to provide unsolicited reports of controlled substance prescribing to authorized individuals or entities and assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the PDMP program or specific PDMP initiatives.

Alaska’s PDMP is underutilized—only 22% of potential prescribers are registered. Grant funds will assist Alaska in assessing levels of awareness of the PDMP among health care practitioners; identifying statewide trends in controlled substance prescribing; increasing provider self-awareness of prescribing habits; expanding the data collected by increasing usage of the PDMP, and recommending policy changes to prevent opioid overuse, misuse, abuse, and overdose. The current PDMP program will be enhanced by adding a Prescriber Report Card function to track prescribing habits.
CA/NCF