Maryland providers will have online access to their patients’ controlled substance prescription history for the first time thanks to a new connection between Maryland’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) and the statewide health information exchange (HIE).
Clinical access to PDMP data will be provided by the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) through their web-based query portal, according to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), who announced the partnership. CRISP also administers the statewide HIE.
The PDMP will aim to improve physicians’ ability to screen for substance use disorders, make referrals to appropriate assessment, treatment and recovery services, and prevent dangerous drug interactions. The state has a goal of reducing overdose deaths by 20 percent by the end of 2015.
Prescription drug abuse is a significant public health challenge in Maryland and across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2009 there were more than 15,500 fatal overdoses in the U.S. related to prescription opioid pain relievers like oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone. In Maryland, more than 40 percent of all overdose deaths that occurred between 2007 and 2012 involved one or more prescription opioid.
”We’re very excited to partner with DHMH to implement the PDMP,” David Horrocks, CRISP’s CEO, said in a statement. “Combining these two major health information technology projects will allow us to better serve the needs of providers and their patients in Maryland and throughout the region.”
