Department of Safety and Professional Services’ Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Wins $1.4 million Grant To Improve Service

Madison, Wis. –  The Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program through the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services recently earned a $1.4 million grant from the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance.

In the past 3 years, the program has been awarded competitive grants of more than $5 million from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The ePDMP service provides access to prescribing records as a tool to combat the state’s opioid crisis and other addictive drugs.

This year’s grant will fund enhancements to the ePDMP system to modernize the self-service functionality and provide improved data quality, better customer support and greater user satisfaction.

The Wisconsin Controlled Substances Board and DSPS introduced the ePDMP in partnership with NIC Wisconsin, a subsidiary of Tyler Technologies, in 2017. This replaced a previous version of the platform that launched in 2013.

“Even in the face of the pandemic, the Evers administration has remained focused on the fight against the opioid epidemic,” DSPS Secretary-designee Dan Hereth said. “We’re proud of the strides our agency, in collaboration with NIC Wisconsin, is also making to combat opioid misuse. And we’re honored to be the recipient of the BJA grant and appreciate their support.”

Since implementation, the ePDMP has been an instrumental tool in helping inform healthcare providers, including physicians, dentists, advanced practice nurses and others, when making decisions about prescribing opioids, benzodiazepines, and other potentially addictive drugs.

Healthcare providers can consult the ePDMP for real-time patient prescription history when making prescribing decisions. The ePDMP also aggregates its prescription and dispensing information on its dashboard and generates county- and state-level trend reports that assist local health and law enforcement agencies in their work to combat the opioid crisis in their areas.

Since the launch of the ePDMP, DSPS, the CSB, and NIC Wisconsin have partnered to continually enhance the ePDMP to provide healthcare providers with simple and efficient access to the vital data about controlled substance dispensing in Wisconsin.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to continue our work with the DSPS and the CSB on enhancing this instrumental tool,” said Chad Zadrazil, General Manager of NIC Wisconsin. “With the support of this grant, our ongoing collective efforts will continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the ePDMP for healthcare providers across Wisconsin.”

To learn more about the ePDMP service, visit https://pdmp.wi.gov/ehr-integration-services.

About DSPS: The Department of Safety and Professional Services issues more than 240 unique licenses, administers dozens of boards and councils that regulate professions, enforces state building codes, runs the state fire prevention program, and maintains the award-winning Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which is a key tool in the multi-faceted public health campaign to stem excessive opioid prescribing. A fee-based agency, the Department of Safety and Professional Services is self-sustaining and receives no general fund tax dollars for its day-to-day operations. With five offices and 250 employees throughout Wisconsin, DSPS collaborates with constituents and stakeholders across a wide range of industries to promote safety and advance the economy.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.