In the United States, prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) or prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are state-run programs that collect and distribute data about the prescription and dispensation of federally controlled substances and, as the individual states deem appropriate, other potentially addictive or abusable prescription drugs. PMPs help to prevent adverse drug-related events through opioid overdoses, drug diversion, and substance abuse by decreasing the amount and/or frequency of opioid prescribing.
PMPs are supported by most physicians and are intended to assist physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, dentists and other prescribers, the pharmacists, chemists and support staff of dispensing establishments, as well as law-enforcement agencies. The collaboration between medical and law enforcement professionals is a joint effort to support the legitimate medical use of controlled substances while limiting the abuse and diversion of these agents. Pharmacies that dispense controlled substances and providers who prescribe them are typically required to register with their respective state PMPs and (for pharmacies and providers who dispense controlled substances from their offices) to report the dispensation of such prescriptions to an electronic online database. Some Pharmacy Software Vendors, like SRS Pharmacy Systems, provide functionality to submit these reports automatically to multiple states.