PDMP (Prescription Drug Monitoring Program)
A prescription drug monitoring program is a state-run database that records controlled-substance prescriptions dispensed to patients in that state, which prescribers are required to check — in most states before prescribing — to identify duplicate therapy, dangerous combinations, and doctor-shopping.
- State-run controlled-substance database
- Checks mandatory in most states
- Per-state prescriber registration
- Documented in the chart
How it works
Pharmacies report each controlled-substance dispensing to the state PDMP; prescribers and pharmacists query it. Most states mandate a check before an initial controlled-substance prescription and at intervals after, with the query documented in the chart. Prescribers register with each state’s PDMP separately, and many states now share data through interstate hubs.
What it means for telehealth programs
Any program prescribing controlled substances — testosterone, certain sleep and ADHD medications, some weight-management adjuncts — needs its clinicians registered with the PDMP in every state where they prescribe, a workflow that performs the check at the required moments, and documentation that it happened. Programs that treat the PDMP check as the clinician’s personal habit rather than an enforced step accumulate audit exposure.
- Per-state registration for each prescriber
- Mandatory checks before and during controlled prescribing in most states
- Query documented in the encounter
- Integrations exist to surface PDMP data inside the workflow
Compliance handled, so you can build
Lithos runs the clinicians, pharmacies, and 50-state rules behind your care program — one API.
Frequently asked questions
Do telehealth prescribers have to check the PDMP?
Yes, under the same rules as in-person prescribers in the patient’s state, which in most states require a check before prescribing a controlled substance and periodically thereafter.
Does the PDMP apply to GLP-1 prescriptions?
GLP-1s are not controlled substances, so no. It applies to controlled substances such as testosterone (Schedule III) and scheduled sleep or ADHD medications.
Is there a national PDMP?
No; each state runs its own. Interstate data-sharing hubs let a query in one state return data from many, but registration remains per state.