One of the biggest healthcare crises of our time is the opioid epidemic. An estimated 10.1 million people misused prescription opioids in 2019. Between June of 2019 and June of 2020, 48,006 deaths are attributed to overdosing on synthetic opioids. This data proves what we’ve been hearing anecdotally for the last several years – opioid abuse is devastating our country, and due to this fact regulators are acting in the form of EPCS and PDMP.
What are EPCS and PDMP?
Electronic prescription of controlled substances (EPCS) allows prescribers to digitally transmit prescriptions for controlled substances, eliminating the need for paper prescriptions. This system is not only more convenient, efficient, and even more eco-friendly, but it also improves on patient safety by ensuring a direct transfer of the prescription from the provider into the custody of the pharmacy.
A prescription data monitoring program (PDMP) is a database which tracks all prescriptions for controlled substances in a given state. PDMPs are particularly useful in fighting the practice of doctor shopping, wherein one individual will see numerous providers to obtain multiple prescriptions for controlled substances in order to supply their own abuse of the pills.
What are the regulations around EPCS and PDMP?
On the federal level, EPCS will be required for Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage drug plans starting January 1, 2023. On the state level, however, 30 states already have laws on the books requiring the use of EPCS. Two more states, Michigan and Colorado, will have regulations taking effect in 2023, in January and July, respectively, with Colorado’s deadline referring to dentists and rural practitioners, as most other providers are already required to use EPCS. Finally, Nebraska dentists will be required to join the ranks of providers using EPCS as of January 1, 2024.
Regarding PDMP, there is neither a federal law requiring the use of a PDMP nor is there a national database containing information regarding the prescribing of controlled substances. There are, however, 44 states with laws currently on the books requiring the use of the state PDMP.
What does this mean for my practice?
Obviously, the first impact for your practice comes if you are in a state with EPCS or PDMP regulations on the books. If this is the case, you need to be using EPCS and PDMP now in order to be in compliance with state law. If your state does not currently have regulations to this effect in place but has planned regulations in the next year to two years, now would be a great time to get ahead of the game to ensure that you are in compliance when the time comes. Similarly, if you happen to be in one of the very few states that currently has no EPCS or PDMP laws in place, it would still be a good idea to implement these tools in your practice now for two reasons. One, the odds that any state will be left without legislation to this effect for much longer are very low. The opioid epidemic has caused massive amounts of pain and destruction throughout this country and lawmakers all over are trying to figure out how to combat that. Secondly, even without regulations demanding the use of EPCS and PDMP, patient safety is likely a top priority in your practice. The use of these tools to identify and combat behaviors consistent with opioid abuse could quite literally save patients’ lives. This reason alone is enough to make the decision to implement EPCS and PDMP.
The pain and loss the opioid epidemic has been causing in this country are devastating, but we now know that we have ways in which we can combat this tragedy. By utilizing EPCS, we can more securely prescribe controlled substances when they are needed, and by utilizing PDMP we can identify when the drugs are actually not needed, and abuse may be occurring. MicroMD EPCS Gold is a secure, simple way to prescribe controlled substances right within your MicroMD EMR workflow. With PDMP access, you can take steps to reduce doctor shopping and keep patients safe.
Are you ready to learn more? Visit micromd.com or call 1-800-624-8832 today.
About the author,
Crystal Stanton
Crystal is a Digital Marketing Specialist at MicroMD. Content creation, social media management, and SEO optimization are just a few of her areas of concentration as she seeks to educate clients and prospects alike about the simple, customizable, and connected solutions we offer at MicroMD.
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