Characteristics and Red Flag Correlates of Psychiatric Outpatients in a Mandated-Use Prescription Drug Monitoring Program State: A PBRN Card Study

Objectives: All 50 states have implemented a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) in efforts to control prescription drug abuse. Many now mandate PDMP checks before clinicians prescribe controlled substances. The aim of this study was to characterize the associations between patient characteristics, red flags found on PDMP reports, and prescriber behavior at community mental health agencies. Methods: Prescribers at 9 practice sites, in 5 regional community mental health centers, were recruited by a practice-based research network to participate in a card study. Prescribers completed a PDMP attitudes survey, and cards were completed for patients who had PDMP reports checked. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: In total, 39 providers completed cards for n=249 unique patient encounters. Over one third of all patients reported an addiction disorder (38%) or a diagnosis of chronic pain (34%). In total, 20% of PDMP reports were found to have red flags, most commonly multiple prescribers or multiple pharmacies. Red flags were associated with race (P
Source: Addictive Disorders and Their Treatment - Category: Addiction Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research