Indian Health Service and Military Medical Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Requirements
April 25, 2018
Overview
Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are state-run databases that collect information on specified medications at the point of dispensing. The data is available to medical professionals and others, as permitted by relevant law. PDMPs can help clinicians improve decisions regarding opioid prescribing.
Although the specifics vary between states, requirements that individuals or organizations submit data to or retrieve data from the PDMP typically only apply to individuals and organizations subject to the authority of the relevant state regulatory or licensing authority. Many federal government healthcare workers, however, are not licensed in the state in which they practice, and therefore are not subject to these requirements. To address this gap, numerous federal governmental agencies have adopted rules, regulations, or policies requiring their employees to provide information to or access information contained in state PDMPs.
This Fact Sheet outlines the policies of the three federal health care institutions with regard to the use of PDMPs when prescribing opioids.
