Alaska Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a PDMP?PDMP stands for “Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.” This is a commonly used term for the programs implemented by various states to monitor the dispensing of controlled substances within their borders. For this purpose, Schedule II through V drugs are typically considered “controlled.”
From a dispenser standpoint, the legal requirement to submit data for use in a state’s PDMP program is sometimes called “Controlled Substance Reporting.”
2. What is the Alaska PDMP?
The Alaska Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is Alaska’s solution for monitoring Schedule II-V controlled substances dispensed in Alaska. Senate Bill 196 (Alaska Statute 08.80.030(b)(11)), signed into law on September 7, 2008, requires the Board of
Pharmacy to establish and maintain a controlled substances prescription database as provided in AS 17.30.300 for the reporting of dispensed prescriptions for all Schedule IA–VA controlled substances under state law and Schedule II–V controlled substances under federal law.
The solution has two main components:
Data Submission: Information about controlled substance dispensing activities is regularly reported to the state of Alaska through their authorized data collection vendor. Pharmacies and other dispensers (clinics, etc.) that are licensed by the Alaska Board of Pharmacy are required by law to provide such reporting to the data collection vendor in approved formats and frequencies. This includes mail order pharmacies that routinely mail orders into the state.
Report Retrieval: Alaska’s online reporting application allows authorized users to generate customized reports 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A report shows information for all the scheduled prescriptions a specified patient has had for a specified period. An authorized user can be a prescriber for medical treatment of an existing or prospective patient; a pharmacist for pharmaceutical treatment; a law enforcement officer with an active investigation; a licensure board for a licensee; a grand jury by subpoena; or a judge, probation, or parole officer administering a drug diversion or probation program.
The primary beneficiaries of the Alaska PDMP are patients throughout Alaska. Because of the Alaska PDMP, healthcare providers can make better and more informed treatment decisions that allow them to provide the most appropriate medical care for their
Alaska’s Board of Pharmacy (Board) has selected Health Information Designs, LLC (HID) to develop a database that will collect and store prescribing and dispensing data for Schedules II-V controlled substances and any other drugs specified by Alaska law as amended. HID’s RxSentry® is a Web-based program that facilitates the collection,
analysis, and reporting of information on the prescribing, dispensing, and use of controlled substance prescription drugs.
HID stands out in the healthcare analytics industry as the leader in providing innovative, forward-thinking PDMP projects combining state-of-the-art Web-based software tools and professional, responsive customer service. By listening closely, customizing our solutions to meet specific needs and requirements, and managing each project with client satisfaction as our first priority, we continue to extend and build new client partnerships.
4. What does it do?
The Alaska PDMP is a centralized database that holds controlled substance prescription information for all patients across the state.
Dispensers will submit data to the database.
Prescribers will be able to review prescription history information and look for potential interactions.
It will protect patient safety and deter prescription drug misuse.
5. What data submission format will I use?
Alaska is using ASAP 4.1 (2009). If you have any questions, contact your pharmacy vendor, or you may contact HID’s PDMP Help Desk by e-mail at
akpdmp-info@hidinc.com or by phone at (855) 263-6404.
For more information regarding ASAP 4.1 specifications, contact the American Society for Automation in Pharmacy at www.asapnet.org for the full Implementation Guide for
the ASAP Standard for Prescription-Monitoring Programs. This guide includes field
7. How much will your data collection services cost?
The PDMP data collection services we provide to you are paid by Alaska. We do not charge you anything for these services, regardless of your submission method.
8. How often am I required to report?
12 AAC 52.865 states, “A dispenser must provide the information required by
transmitting to the board or the board’s agent no later than the fifth of the following month for all prescriptions dispensed on and between the first day and the last day of the previous month.”
This means that each time a controlled substance is dispensed to an individual, the controlled substance must be reported to the AK PDMP, using a format approved by the Alaska Board of Pharmacy, once per month but no later than the fifth (5th) day of the
following month.
Beginning March 15, 2013, dispensers will begin submitting their data to HID. Therefore, data for the month of March must be reported to HID by April 5, 2013. However,
dispensers are encouraged to report more frequently if they would like.
9. Do I need to sign up or just start submitting data?
You will need to register with HID through a simple process in which you will verify basic information about your facility and indicate the submission method you will be using. This registration step also enhances the security of the submission process.
If you were already registered for the Alaska PDMP through the previous vendor,
RelayHealth, HID already has the information you provided when you initially registered. You will, however, need to verify that the information we have on file for you is correct and establish a new password to access HID’s RxSentry system.
For more information about the registration process, please see the RxSentry
Dispenser’s Implementation Guide or the RxSentry Training Guide for Alaska
Practitioners and Pharmacists, depending on your user type. Both documents can be
found on the Alaska PDMP website at www.alaskapdmp.com.
Yes. You will receive your report monthly via the method specified when you created your account, either e-mail or fax. If you FTP/SFTP the data, a report will be placed in your home directory on the FTP server.
11. What if my system vendor (or chain) sets up these kinds of things for me?
We will gladly work with your vendor (or chain) to assist them with the setup process if they are able to support this option. Call our PDMP Help Desk with your vendor’s contact information or provide your pharmacy system vendor with our support information.
12. Will I be able to pull a patient report?
Yes, you can view the prescription history for a specified period for an individual patient. You may query any recipient who is a current or prospective patient, but before you can view the results of the query, you must authenticate the query by indicating the query is for a valid reason and that you have the potential to provide a service to the recipient who is being queried.
13. Which practitioners can access data?
Physicians, pharmacists, dentists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, veterinarians, and other licensed clinicians and professionals.
14. Will there be user guides?
16. Do other states have a similar program?
