Arizona’s Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP)
Every day some 91 Americans die from an opioid death and nearly three Arizonans are among that daily death toll. Combating the abuse of opioids and other controlled substances is the target of a new state mandate that went into effect October 16, 2017, requiring all medical practitioners to check a patient’s utilization history through the state Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) before prescribing an opioid or benzodiazepine drug.
PMP Mandate Effective October 16, 2017
The effective date of Arizona’s PMP mandate was delayed for several months to allow electronic health record (EHR) companies and the statewide health information exchange (HIE), Health Current, to integrate with the state PMP datebase. This allows users of EHRs and Health Current to more efficiently access the PMP database as part of their daily workflow. Health Current notified Arizona’s Board of Pharmacy that it had integrated the state database into the HIE as of August 17, 2017. By law, the PMP went into effect 60 days later, on October 16, 2017.
Requirements and Exceptions
The PMP Mandate requires prescribers of controlled substances to obtain a patient utilization report regarding the patient for the preceding 12 months at the beginning of each new course of treatment and at least quarterly. There are several key exceptions to the mandate such as the type of treatment, the administration of or location of the treatment and the duration of the treatment. More information on the PMP Mandate and exceptions to the mandate are available here.
Options for Prescribers
There are the three ways that prescribers can access the PMP database:
- Access via the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy Website
- Access via a Provider EHR
- Access via Health Current, Arizona’s HIE
Information for providers and prescribers on Choosing the Right Path for Your Practice is available here.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the PMP Mandate are available here.