A Collaborative Effort To Improve Patient Safety And Address Substance Use Disorder
Boulder, CO, August 1, 2018 - MDScripts' recent partnership with Appriss Health provides clinicians with one-click, point-of-care access to prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) data, advanced analytics, and tools and resources designed to improve patient safety and outcomes.
By eliminating long-intervals, state level lag-time between dispensing and submission, and creating an easily accessible and physician-friendly gateway, MDScripts is providing clinicians unparalleled access to information that supports more informed and timely decision making and results in more effective prevention and management of substance abuse disorder (SUD).
The Opioid Crisis Continues To Ravage The United States
Overdose deaths resulting from prescription opioids in the United States have quadrupled over the last 15 years1 140 people in the United States die each day as a result of overdosing on opioids2. This growing epidemic of opioid addiction and misuse, including prescription pain medication, recently led to President Trump declaring a public health emergency to deal with the crisis3.
As federal, state, and local governments struggle/scramble to contain the opioid crisis, the data continues to support the CDC's findings that include PDMPs are among the most promising state-level intervention to improve the opioid prescribing, inform clinical practice, and protect patients at risk4.
Consider the following:
- Roughly 115 people in the United States die each day as a result of overdosing on opioids5
- An estimated 25% of all patients misuse opioids prescribed for treatment of for chronic pain.
- Nearly 10% of these patients develop an opioid-related substance abuse disorder
- Eight out of 10 heroin-users misused prescription opioids prior to heroin use.
PDMPs Associated with Sustained Reduction in Opioid Prescribing by Physicians
A 2016 study released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concluded that implementing a PDMP in the point-of-care setting reduced the rate of prescribing a Schedule II opioid, including codeine, morphine, hydrocodone, by over 30%. Adding to the effectiveness of a PDMP in the clinical setting, the HHS also found these results to be sustained for three years after initial findings6.
State PDMPs Widely Available, But Not Consistently Used
In response to these findings, and in an attempt to curtail "doctor shopping" and to better identify and prevent SUD, 49 of the 50 states (the exception being Missouri) now collect data on all dispensed controlled substances; at least 48 state have also started to monitor drug data from other states7 8
Several states now mandate that physicians report any controlled substance prescribed and dispensed by the close of business the following day; in some states, failure to report is now being treated as a crime, and is considered a misdemeanor.
However, recent surveys of primary care physicians indicate that while over 70% of primary care physicians are aware of their state's PDMPs, only around 50% of physicians have ever used it. In states that require doctors to record specific information allowing prescriptions and dispensing of controlled substances to be monitored and tracked, nearly 60% of providers reported that recording this information is takes too long; 30% found the format not to be user friendly9.
MDScripts' application provides a one-click point of service solution to ensure physicians are compliant with state PDMP reporting regulations. In fact, MDScripts' system automatically provides daily reports to the appropriate state when a physician dispenses a controlled substance (each evening in most states; in real time for Oklahoma). MDScripts' application integrates into normal workflow and provides physicians with a data-reporting platform that requires all reporting elements be present before items are allowed to be dispensed.
MDScripts Provides Clinicians Access To Critical Information to Improve Patient Safety and Outcomes
MDScripts’ integration of Appriss Health’s PMP Gateway managed service platform increases physician utilization of PDMP data and other information up front for every patient by utilizing a sizeable network of electronic health record (EHR) and pharmacy management systems.
Clinicians now have access to MDScripts one-click process which eliminates the time consuming process of manually logging into each individual state's PDMP website to enter a patient's name and demographics. In addition, the PMP Gateway provides healthcare prescribers and dispensers:
- Access to PDMP Data at the Point of Care
Having access to point of care, real-time PDMP data provides clinicians information required in order to ensure patient safety. - The Ability to Streamline Search Capabilities
PMP Gateway automates the search process, ensuring patient PDPM data is rapidly accessible and a part of your normal workflow. For example, using the PMP Gateway, clinicians are now able to search and review individual patient records and access PDMP data for past controlled substance transactions. - Delivery of Multi-State PDMP Data From a Single Access Point
Health care providers are now able to view multi-state PDMP data from a single log-on point to evaluate and identify purchase patterns and other potential signs of SUD.
By integrating Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Data and a Comprehensive Substance Use Disorder Platform directly into clinician workflow, MDScripts is providing clinicians a seamless solution that provides access to prescription drug information and improves efficiency and effectiveness in their day-to-day operations.
1 "Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: Evolution and Evidence | LDI." 8 Jun. 2017, https://ldi.upenn.edu/brief/prescription-drug-monitoring-programs-evolution-and-evidence. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.
2 "Opioid Overdose Crisis - National Institute ...." https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.
3 "Trump administration declares opioid crisis a public health ... - NPR." 26 Oct. 2017, https://www.npr.org/2017/10/26/560083795/president-trump-may-declare-opioid-epidemic-national-emergency. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.
4 "What States Need to Know about PDMPs | Drug Overdose | CDC ...." 3 Oct. 2017, https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pdmp/states.html. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.
5 "Opioid Overdose Crisis - National Institute ...." https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.
6 "Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Are Associated ... - NCBI - NIH." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5336205/. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.
7 "Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: Evolution and Evidence | LDI." 8 Jun. 2017, https://ldi.upenn.edu/brief/prescription-drug-monitoring-programs-evolution-and-evidence. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.
8 "States require doctors to use prescription drug monitoring systems for ...." 15 Jan. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/states-require-doctors-to-use-prescription-drug-monitoring-systems-for-patients/2018/01/12/c76807b8-f009-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.
9 "Only 53 Percent of Doctors Use Their State Prescription Drug ...." 3 Mar. 2015, https://drugfree.org/learn/drug-and-alcohol-news/53-percent-doctors-use-state-prescription-drug-monitoring-program-study/. Accessed 20 Jun. 2018.