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Maine's Prescription Monitoring Program News

10/14/2009

OSA Proposes Changes to Rules Governing PMP

In order to implement the following two (2) legislative documents and to come into compliance with guidelines set forth by the federal government, the Office of Substance Abuse (OSA) is proposing amendments to the rules governing the controlled substances Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP):

[1] LD 1359 allows access to PMP information for the office that administers the MaineCare program.

[2] LD 623 allows access to PMP information for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

The federal guidelines require grant-funded PMP's to collect data from pharmacies on a weekly basis.

Comments on the amended rules will be accepted until November 20 at 5:00 p.m. No public hearing is scheduled. For details, see the Notice of Agency Rulemaking Proposal.

The proposed amended rule governing the PMP are available on the OSA’s website. The current rules are available on the Secretary of State's web site.

Call (207) 287-2595 to have a paper copy of the proposed rule mailed to you.

4/20/2009

From NIH -

NIDA Launches Drug Use Screening Tools for Physicians
NIDAMED Helps Doctors Provide the Best in Medical Care

Washington, D.C. – The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today unveiled its first comprehensive Physicians’ Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED, which gives medical professionals tools and resources to screen their patients for tobacco, alcohol, illicit, and nonmedical prescription drug use. The NIDAMED resources include an online screening tool, a companion quick reference guide, and a comprehensive resource guide for clinicians. The initiative stresses the importance of the patient-doctor relationship in identifying unhealthy behaviors before they evolve into life threatening conditions. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2009/nida-20.htm

2/2/2009

More Fixes and Enhancements to the New PMP Portal

Here is a list of a few fixes and enhancements deployed to the PMP portal this morning (Monday, 2/2/2009):

  1. Default query search results changed from '10' to '50' results - that means fewer clicks to page through and add more than ten patient records to a report.
  2. Subordinate 'CREDIT TO:' drop down list sorted by last name - this feature will be useful to sub-account users who run reports for more than one prescriber.
  3. Change default Patient History Report time frame to 1 year - by popular demand; this change will lengthen reports, but it should not affect "performance."
  4. Patient Search criteria added to Patient History Search Audit - the "Search History" feature is now fully operational; you can use it to see who you've looked up and when.
  5. 'Select All' button added to patient search results screen - a major enhancement, not present in the old portal 6. Patient History report generated lists scripts in reverse chronological order - a major fix (previously, the record order on the reports seemed random)
     

Main point: many bugs have been fixed, and several enhancements have been made.

If you would like help logging in, or you cannot get patient reports to display in PDF format, please call the Helpdesk at 866-749-7838 or email mepdmphelpdesk@ghsinc.com.

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1/16/2009

Problems with new Portal now Fixed

Goold Health Systems (GHS) is working on improvements to the new PMP portal and has already fixed several bugs. The one that kept patient reports from popping up on the first try was fixed Thursday morning (01/15/2009).

Tip for pulling multiple patient records into a single report:

  1. Log in to the portal.
  2. Click the "Patient History" link at the left.
  3. Click the "Search" button at the top left.
  4. Enter the patient information in the required fields and click the "Submit" button.
  5. Select the records of interest in the top panel (usually all of them).
  6. Click the "Add to Report" button. (All of the selected records will appear in the panel below.)
  7. Click the "Generate Report" button.

A PDF version of a patient history report should pop up. Note: this function requires that the "Pop-up blocker" be turned off (usually on by default; alternatively, you can simply add the new URL, www.mainepmp.org, to the list of "allowed sites" under the Pop-up blocker settings).

If you or another member of you staff has a few minutes to spare, you may want to refer to the "Documentation" link at www.maine.gov/pmp for further information (including screen shots). One of the documents, the "Data Requester Manual" will be of most help, pages 14 and 15. (Additionally, if you are using IE 7, you will need to change some default settings; directions for this fix are in another document on that site, entitled "IE 7 Settings.")

If, once you've followed all of these steps, you are still unable to produce the PDF version of a patient report, you will need to contact the PMP Technical Helpdesk between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM, M-F, at 866-749-7838 or mepdmphelpdesk@ghsinc.com.

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12/29/2008

Re-registration for Maine PMP

Major changes are in store for the PMP web portal next week (January 5, 2009).

A presentation about the re-registration process has been posted on the OSA web site:

Re-registering_for_Maine_PMP (PDF)

Re-registering for Maine PMP (PowerPoint)

Questions should be referred to the Maine PMP Helpdesk at 866-749-7838.

Background:

Access to the online PMP database may be denied unless users "re-register" during "business" hours, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, after January 5. (Updated 1/21/2009)

One of the consequences of the planned changes to the PMP online database interface, scheduled for January 5, 2009, is that if practitioners attempt to log on the PMP web site outside of business hours during the week of January 5, (or over the weekend, Jan. 10 and 11) without having "re-registered" earlier in the week, they will be denied access until the next business day! (This scenario is actually very likely for clinicians who work in emergency or urgent care settings.)

If you want access to PMP data outside of business hours during that week, you will need to attempt to log on to the new web site during business hours, once the new site is up and running.

An email blast will be sent to the PMP Users email list on the day of the switch, once the new site is ready for "re-registration." All accounts, after re-registration, will have to go through a MANUAL approval process, so you should expect to have to wait for access.

Please spread the word among your colleagues that having an email address on file with GHS prior to January 5 will expedite the re-registration process. (Anyone who is uncertain whether an email address is on file with GHS should call the Maine PMP Helpdesk at 866-749-7838.)

12/5/2008

New PMP web portal coming Jan 5, 2009

Goold Health Systems (GHS) has created a new online PMP data portal with more features than the current portal, including automated password recovery. The new, improved PMP web site will be launched on January 5, 2009.

The web address, http://www.maine.gov/pmp, will remain the same. However, if you have added the current log in page to your "Favorites" menu or saved a shortcut on your desktop, please check that it points to http://www.maine.gov/pmp, and not the "https://portalx..." web address.

After the new web site "goes live" on January 5, all users will be required to a have an email address on file with GHS. Please spread the word of this planned requirement among your colleagues.

If you have any questions regarding the upcoming changes to the PMP web site, please contact the Maine PMP Helpdesk at 866-749-7838 or mepdmphelpdesk@ghsinc.com. Alternatively, you may contact the Office of Substance Abuse at 207-287-2595 or osa.ircosa@maine.gov.