Prescription Monitoring Program

Since March 29, 2009, the Iowa Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) has provided authorized prescribers and pharmacists with information regarding their patients’ use of controlled substances. The Iowa PMP is used as a tool in determining appropriate prescribing and treatment of patients without fear of contributing to a patient’s abuse of or dependence on addictive drugs or diversion of those drugs for illicit use. Iowa licensed pharmacies, both in-state and nonresident pharmacies, are required to report to the Iowa PMP all Schedule II, III, IV and V controlled substances and opioid antagonists (e.g., Narcan® or naloxone) dispensed by the pharmacy to ambulatory patients. As of May 12, 2021, Iowa pharmacies are also required to report all OTC (non-prescription) Schedule V (e.g., codeine containing cough syrups) sold to patients.

How does the Iowa PMP work?

Step 1. Dispensers report data to the Iowa PMP

What data is reported to the PMP?

Records of all schedule II through V controlled substance prescriptions dispensed to patients by Iowa-licensed pharmacies and dispensing prescribers
Records of prescriptions for and the administration of opioid antagonists, such as naloxone

Who submits the data?

Iowa-licensed pharmacies, including in-state and nonresident pharmacies
Dispensing prescribers
Any pharmacy, prescriber, or first responder who dispenses or administers an opioid antagonist, such as naloxone
A record of each reportable administration or prescription dispensed must be submitted by each dispenser no later than the next regular business day following administration or dispensing.

Step 2. Iowa securely stores the data

How is the data kept safe?

PMP data is protected by the highest data security standards and access to data is restricted to authorized, registered individuals.

Step 3. Authorized individuals securely access the data

Who can access the data?

Pharmacists and prescribers and their delegates may access a patient’s PMP records if the pharmacist or prescriber is actively engaged in the patient’s healthcare.
Pursuant to an order, subpoena, or other means of legal compulsion based upon a determination of probable cause in the course of a specific investigation of a specific individual, PMP data can be released to law enforcement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Please see the frequently asked questions link for additional information.

General PMP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Patient Request for PMP Information

A patient interested in obtaining a copy of their PMP report may do so using the following form: Patient's Request for PMP Information.

The patient will be required to provide a current government-issued photo identification. Unless the form is personally delivered to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy office, a Notary witness is required. See the form for further instructions.

Iowa PMP AWARxE and PMP Clearinghouse

The Iowa PMP AWARxE website address is https://iowa.pmpaware.net.

For pharmacy reporting, the PMP Clearinghouse website address is https://pmpclearinghouse.net.

The Iowa Department of Health Tracking Portal includes population-adjusted information calculated from PMP data. Measures include yearly totals and summaries. Portal users are able to select and display summary results via an interactive table and map. User selectable categories include age, gender, county, and medication class.

For technical assistance with procedural issues, please contact Bamboo Health (formerly Appriss Health) at 844-442-4767.

For non-technical questions regarding Iowa PMP, please contact the Board of Pharmacy at 515-281-5944 or email pmp@iowa.gov.

Training, User Guides, and Reference Materials

User Guides

Reference Materials

Training

Modernizing the PMP: Updates to the Iowa Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
- Available under the Iowa Courses tab at CEimpact’s Marketplace: https://learn.ceimpact.com/library/group/51
- Released May 20, 2020
- 1 Accredited Credit Hour for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians
- Free for all professions
- Target audience: Pharmacists, Pharmacy technicians, Dentists, Physicians (MD and DO), and Optometrists
- With support from the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation and the Iowa Medical Society, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy is offering a one-hour, on-demand webinar highlighting recent enhancements made to Iowa's Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). A key component of this training includes an overview of NarxCare, which is an advanced opioid use disorder management platform designed to provide prescribers and pharmacists with insights into patient prescription fill histories and behaviors. Additionally, a summary of HF2377, commonly referred to as the "opioid bill", and its impact on prescribing in the state of Iowa is discussed.
Implementing the CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines: Clinical Pearls and Best Practices
- Available under the Iowa Courses tab at CEimpact’s Marketplace: https://learn.ceimpact.com/library/group/51
- Released October 1, 2021
- 2 Accredited Credit Hour
- Free for all professions
- Target audience: Pharmacists, Nurses (LPN, RN, ARNP), Physicians (MD and DO), Physician Assistants, Podiatrists, Dentists, Optometrists
- Educational course to get the latest in opioid prescribing guidelines, treatment algorithms, and resources to help effectively manage patients with chronic pain.
CDC Opioid Prescribing Guideline
- https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/providers/prescribing/guideline.html

Integration with PMP

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy and Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), as a result of funding made available to IDPH by the CDC, have been able to provide various Iowa providers, pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics financial assistance for improving access to the Iowa PMP. Funds were used to assist with integration of electronic health records and pharmacy dispensing software with the Iowa PMP. Integrations provide quicker and easier access by authorized practitioners to their patients' prescription history information. Qualified practitioners, pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics will be notified if future funding opportunities become available.

For information regarding the benefits of integrating an electronic health record (EHR) and/or pharmacy dispensing software (PDS) with the Iowa Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), as well as the steps involved in the process, please contact the state of Iowa’s PMP vendor, APPRISS, at https://info.apprisshealth.com/ehrrequest as well as your EHR or PDS software vendor.

PMP Advisory Council

The following persons have been appointed by the Governor to the eight-member Prescription Monitoring Program Advisory Council:

Alan Shepley, R.Ph., Mt. Vernon
Anthony Miller, M.D., Iowa City
Gloria Bernstein, R.Ph., Des Moines
Julie Sarcone, ARNP, West Des Moines
Matt Arnold, PharmD, Bettendorf
Yulia Johnson, D.O., Indianola
Tracy Mixdorf, D.O., Clear Lake

The advisory council was established by law in 2006 to provide oversight to the board of pharmacy and to the prescription monitoring program. Together, the board and the council co-manage the activities of the PMP. Jointly, the board and the council will also adopt administrative rules which specify the duties and activities of the council and related matters. The duties of the council include but are not limited to the following:

Ensuring the confidentiality of the patient, prescriber, and dispensing pharmacist and pharmacy.
Respecting and preserving the integrity of the patient's treatment relationship with the patient's health care providers.
Encouraging and facilitating cooperative efforts among health care practitioners and other interested and knowledgeable persons in developing best practices for prescribing and dispensing controlled substances and in educating health care practitioners and patients regarding controlled substance use and abuse.
Making recommendations regarding the continued benefits of maintaining the program in relation to cost and other burdens to the patient, prescriber, pharmacist, and the board.
One physician and one pharmacist member of the council include in their duties the responsibility of monitoring and ensuring that patient confidentiality, best interests, and civil liberties are at all times protected and preserved during the existence of the program.

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