Misinformation Abounds on PDMP Mandate

The AMS office has received several calls over the past couple of weeks about Act 820, which mandates checking the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program prior to prescribing certain medications. Apparently, some hospitals are incorrectly telling their medical staff that the Act is already in effect. In other cases, physicians are being led to believe that the Act prohibits certain prescribing practices. Please be aware that the Act does not go into effect until July 31, 2017. With some exceptions, the Act requires prescribers (all prescribers) to check the PDMP each time a prescription is written for a Schedule II and III opioid or the first time a prescription is written for a benzodiazepine. It in no way prohibits writing prescriptions for these medications.

Prior to the effective date, AMS will provide more guidance on the specifics of the legislation and the exemptions. If you are not already registered with the PDMP, you should go ahead and do so as well as registering one or more “delegates” in your office. State law allows you to delegate access to the PDMP to someone under your direction but you will need to register them as a delegate. More information is available on the PDMP website.