Three states and DC join the prescription monitoring program

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) recently announced the addition of Alabama, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. to PMP InterConnect.

In the coming months, the four new members will be connecting live with the PMP system.

“A key enhancement of the Massachusetts Prescription Awareness Tool (MassPAT) is the sharing of interstate prescription data with nearly every state in the country,” Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Health Care Safety and Quality, Acting Bureau Director Eric J. Sheehan said. “Through its collaboration with NABP, the connection between MassPAT and NABP’s PMP InterConnect will result in a more comprehensive and thorough tool for Massachusetts prescribers and dispensers to use in identifying potential opioid abuse.”

PMP members can access prescription information through the PMP InterConnect platform. The system allows authorized users to access a patient's prescription history. This will help doctors avoid issuing multiple prescriptions for opioids or other controlled substances. It will also reduce the number of patients who cross state lines to see other doctors and obtain additional medications. Pharmacists also have access to PMP InterConnect, allowing them to identify possible opioid abuse.