TPA Attends Interagency PMP Workgroup Meeting

On October 23, Texas Pharmacy Association representatives attended the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (TSBP) quarterly Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) interagency workgroup meeting led by Executive Director Allison Benz. An update on the PMP FY2018 statistics was provided:

• Nearly 40 million prescriptions have been reported to the PMP;
• More than 8 million user searches conducted, of which 43% are by pharmacists and 28% by physicians; and
• There has been an overall downward trend in doctor-shopping, which is defined by a patient being associated with five or more prescribers and five or more pharmacies.

Budget items for the PMP for FY2020-2021 were discussed, including the request for funding for statewide integration in the provider’s electronic medical record (EMR) system, clinical alerts, Narxcare (which features a risk score for the patient for the prescriber and pharmacy), and hiring an epidemiologist who would analyze trends in prescribing and dispensing patterns.

Benz reported prescribers started using the new official prescription forms September 1, 2018. The new pads have increased security measures. The new security measures feature a new watermark, chromothermic ink, and if copied VOID will appear on the document. Beginning June 1, 2019 the old prescription forms will no longer be allowed and prescribers will have to use the new forms.