Analytics could help us stem the opioid crisis. We just need to solve a few red tape and data problems.
Earlier this year I attended the National Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, where Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) were a frequent topic of panels and presentations. The basic purpose of PDMPs is to collect, house and standardize data from pharmacies and dispensing providers in regard to controlled substances. PDMPs provide that information back to providers and pharmacists so they can see a patient’s prescription history and, ideally, help them identify high-risk patients who may need early intervention.
The opioid epidemic has put PDMPs in the spotlight, but they’ve actually existed for quite some time.
Believe it or not, California set up the first PDMP in 1939 to monitor narcotic prescriptions and tracked them by numbered forms. The early 1990s saw the first PDMPs to collect information in electronic format and the first state—Nevada—to provide data directly to pharmacists and prescribers. To date, 49 states, the District of Columbia and the Territory of Guam have some form of PDMP. Recently Missouri stated that it is working on a public-private partnership to develop a version of a prescription monitoring program.
I give this history lesson to make it clear that PDMPs are not some new concept, suffering growing pains and struggling towards maturity.
Analytics could help us stem the opioid crisis. We just need to solve a few red tape and data problems.