Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Registration

• Who is required to register with the PDMP?
• How does the PDMP legislation define prescriber?
• If I am licensed in PA but don’t practice in the state, am I required to register with the PDMP?
• If I am a retired physician, am I required to register with the PDMP?
• Are institutional DEA numbers allowed when registering for the PDMP?

Registration Resources

PDMP Training Videos/Guides for Non-Registered Users
(PA Department of Health)

PDMP Registration
(PA Department of Health)

Querying

• As a prescriber, what are my querying requirements under the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)?
• Are there any exceptions?
• Are there other scenarios when a physician may query the PDMP?
• When should I query the PDMP if I issue a prescription for a controlled substance dated in the future?
• Must I query the PDMP every time I prescribe an opioid or benzodiazepine, even if my patient has signed a voluntary treatment agreement and is being seen regularly?
• Does the PDMP contain prescribing/dispensing data from other states?
• Are physicians required to document a PDMP query in a patient’s medical record?
• Is patient consent required to query the PDMP?
• Does the PDMP need to be queried before prescribing a controlled substance to a patient who is admitted to a health care facility?
• Must anesthesiologists query the PDMP prior to administering anesthesia?
• What happens if physicians improperly use or fail to check the system when making a clinical decision about prescribing a controlled substance?
• What is the level of liability on a physician if they make a clinical decision to issue or not issue an opioid based on the data in the PDMP?
• What should I do if there is incorrect information in the PA PDMP system?
• As a prescriber, if I provide a short-term or sample supply of a controlled substance to a patient for them to take home, do I need to report it to the PA PDMP?

Querying Resources

Searching for Patients Across State Lines
(PA Department of Health)

Prescriber Q&A 
(PA Department of Health)

Delegates

• Am I able to assign a delegate to conduct my patient queries?
• Can a single Delegate work for multiple supervising prescribers?

Delegate Resources

Delegate Registration Manual
(PA Department of Health)

Delegate Policies
(PA Department of Health)

Additional PDMP Information

• Are physicians required to enter any data into the PDMP?
• If I provide a controlled substance sample to a patient for them to self-administer, do I need to report it into the PDMP?
• What is the level of liability if a physician makes a clinical decision regarding prescribing an opioid based on PDMP data?
• What happens if physicians improperly use or fail to query the PDMP when required?
• What should I do if there is incorrect information in the PA PDMP system?

Physicians-in-Training

• If I am an intern or resident, which role should I select when registering for the PDMP?
• What happens if an intern or resident who registers as a “Prescriber Without DEA” but then obtains their own DEA number during residency? Can they change roles in the PDMP?
• Are institutional DEA numbers allowed when registering for the PDMP?