Maryland's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)

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The Role of PDMP

The PDMP will serve as the primary coordinating entity in Maryland’s strategy to address prescription drug abuse and diversion. State PDMPs have demonstrated effectiveness in providing controlled substance prescribers and dispensers with clinically useful information at the point-of-care and reducing the availability of prescription drugs for diversion to the illicit market. Maryland’s program will build on best practices developed in other states while pursuing new innovations to enhance the effectiveness of prescription monitoring.

As of 2011, 48 states and one territory have passed legislation to create a PDMP, and 35 state PDMPs are operational.  State PDMPs vary in a number of important ways, including which drug schedules are monitored, reporting deadlines, who has direct access to or the ability to request prescription data, means of reporting, type of state agency that houses the program, etc. (For more information on other states’ PDMPs, visit the Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs)