NABP PMP InterConnect Celebrates One Year of Connecting Prescription Monitoring Programs to Combat Prescription Drug Abuse

Nine States Currently Sharing Data

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill., Aug. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) is pleased to announce its one-year anniversary of sharing prescription monitoring program (PMP) data through its NABP PMP InterConnect program. The NABP InterConnect allows authorized users in participating states to request patients' prescription data and receive the information from other participating states' PMPs. Sharing prescription drug data among states is an effective tool for reducing prescription drug abuse and doctor shopping and is a key element for early detection, intervention, and prevention of substance abuse by patients as well as diversion of controlled substances by health care providers.

During the first year of operation, nine PMPs joined NABP InterConnect and are now fully connected to allow data sharing. In addition, three other states' PMPs are in the final stages of implementation and are expected to go live soon. Several other states have indicated to NABP that they intend to participate in NABP InterConnect in the future. When these states become fully operational, 22 states will be sharing data via the NABP InterConnect.

"As an organization mission-driven to protect the public health, NABP was approached by several PMP administrators who asked NABP to develop and deploy a data sharing system in a rapid and cost-effective manner, and NABP has done so," says NABP President Michael A. Burleson, RPh. "NABP InterConnect provides a technological solution to safely and securely share PMP data with users in other states in order to better combat the problems of prescription drug abuse and diversion, which constitutes a serious threat to the public health." 

NABP InterConnect was taken from concept to reality within nine months, and many states are committed to joining the system, thereby increasing and enhancing the information that practitioners and pharmacists use to make appropriate and fully informed prescribing and dispensing decisions. Currently 41 states have operational PMPs and eight others have programs in development; however, until NABP InterConnect there was no system for data sharing among the programs. This deficit created a significant challenge in the efforts of PMP users who were attempting to identify individuals illicitly obtaining controlled substance prescriptions in multiple states. Now, users from PMPs that utilize NABP InterConnect can receive patient data in a single report in less than six seconds from other participating PMPs. To date, more than 375,000 successful interstate data requests have been processed through NABP InterConnect, and the usage of NABP InterConnect continues to accelerate as more states join.

Recognizing that each PMP has unique access and usage requirements, NABP InterConnect was designed to accommodate each state's specific needs. Participating PMP administrators can easily customize how requests for patient data are processed and routed. In addition, they have complete control over who can and cannot access the system thereby preventing inappropriate access. All communications are handled with industry-standard encryption algorithms to ensure confidentiality and compliance with privacy laws.

NABP has absorbed all costs of developing and operating the NABP InterConnect since its inception, and no government funding has been requested in this process. NABP is committed to operating the program at no cost to participating states for at least five years, and intends to extend that commitment so that no state must pay in order to participate in NABP InterConnect.    

NABP is the independent, international, and impartial Association that assists its state member boards and jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health.

SOURCE National Association of Boards of Pharmacy