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Bulletin About the Georgia Prescruption Drug Monitoring Program from the Coalition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

Posted over 10 years ago by Laura Searcy

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Hope everyone had a safe and wonderful summer. It will be an action packed fall as a variety of state and federal issues affecting APRN practice are active. You will be receiving information asking for action on the part of all Georgia APRN’s over the next few weeks. Please pass these updates along as soon as possible after you receive them.

First, all APRN’s need to be aware of an issue that has arisen over implementation of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program . No action is required at this time. In 2012, the Georgia Legislature passed legislation charging the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency (Agency) with establishing a prescription drug monitoring program:

  • “Subject to funds as may be appropriated by the General Assembly or otherwise available for such purpose, the Agency shall, in consultation with members of the Georgia Composite Medical Board, establish and maintain a program to electronically record into an electronic data base prescription information resulting from the dispensing of Schedule II, III, IV, or V controlled substances and to electronically review such prescription information that has been entered into such a data base.
     
  • The purpose of the PDMP shall be to assist in the reduction of the abuse of controlled substances; to improve, enhance, and encourage a better quality of healthcare by promoting the proper use of medications to treat pain and terminal illness; and to reduce duplicative prescribing and overprescribing of controlled substances practices. The data collected will be used to enhance patient care by providing prescription drug monitoring information that will ensure legitimate use of controlled substances in healthcare, including palliative care, research, and other medical pharmacological uses”.

APRN’s were specifically included as authorized prescribers in the enabling legislation. In July, providers were to begin registering. However APRN’s were not included on the online registration form and are currently unable to register.

After communicating with the Board of Nursing, , we were informed that issues related to generating and sharing the necessary data between the three agencies involved (Georgia Drug and Narcotics Agency, the Georgia Composite Medical Board (who keeps records of APRN’s with prescriptive authority, and the Board of Nursing) had delayed the opening of the registry to APRN’s. The needed data has been transmitted and the IT folks are working on it. A specific timeline for resolution is not available at this time. Updates will be sent as they become available.

There will be information in the next issue of the Board of Nursing publication “The Georgian Nurse” to explain how APRN’s will register for the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMD). The Coalition will also provide this information when it is available.

Happy Labor Day!

Laura Searcy
Health Policy Director and Legislative Liaison
lsearcy@caprn.org
678-886-4503


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