Opioid Prescribing After Implementation of Single Click Access to a State Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Database in a Health System's Electronic Health Record

Objectives. To determine the effect of one-click integration of a state's prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) on the number of PDMP searches and opioid prescriptions, stratified by specialty. Methods. Our large health system worked with the state department of public health to integrate the PDMP with the electronic health record (EHR), which enabled providers to query the data with a single click inside the EHR environment. We evaluated Schedule II or III opioid prescriptions reported to the Massachusetts PDMP 6 months before (November 15, 2017-May 15, 2018) and 6 months after (May 16, 2018, to November 16, 2018) integration. Search counts, prescriptions, patients, morphine milligram equivalents, as well as prescriber specialty were compared. Results. There were 3,185 unique prescribers with a record of a Schedule II and/or III opioid prescription in both study periods that met inclusion criteria. After integration, the number of PDMP searches increased from 208,684 in the pre-integration phase to 298,478 searches in the post-integration phase (+43.0%). The number of opioid prescriptions dispensed decreased by 4.8%, the number of patients receiving a prescription decreased by 5.1%, and the mean morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) per prescriber decreased by 5.4%. There were some notable specialty-specific differences in these measures. Conclusions. Integration of the PDMP into the EHR markedly increased the number of searches but was associated with modest decreases in opioids prescribed and patients receiving a prescription. Single click EHR integration of the PDMP, if implemented broadly, may be a way for states to significantly increase PDMP utilization.

Automated summary

The integration of PDMP into the EHR system significantly increased the number of searches but led to modest decreases in opioid prescriptions and the number of patients receiving a prescription. Single click EHR integration of PDMP may be a way for states to significantly increase PDMP utilization if implemented broadly.