Vermont Prescription Monitoring System

Important Updates: For Dispensers Licensed by the State of Vermont

Forms for Health Care Providers or Dispensers

About the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System

The Department of Health established the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System ("VPMS" or "system"), as authorized in 2006 under Act 205.

When a Schedule II, III, or IV controlled substance is dispensed to an outpatient, a standard set of information about the patient, the prescriber, and the drug will be collected by the VPMS and maintained for six years on a secure, central database.

Information from the Prescription Monitoring System will be available to providers and pharmacists to help in their work to effectively manage their patients' treatment.

By maintaining complete and up-to-date information, providers will have access to a full history of their patient's prescriptions for controlled substances. Further, the system can alert a provider to possible abuse of - or addiction to - controlled substances.

Patients can request a report of their own records, but do not have direct access to the system. A patient for whom a prescription for a controlled substance is written may request information from the VPMS database relating to himself or herself. The request must be in writing, and the person must appear in-person, and produce a valid government-issued photographic proof of identify to receive the VPMS report.

Licensing Boards do not have direct access to the VPMS database. A representative of a professional board that is responsible for the licensure, regulation or discipline of health care providers or dispensers, may request information from the database relating to a licensee, pursuant to a bona fide specific investigation of that licensee.

Meeting a Critical Need

There is broad consensus within the substance abuse community and the VPMS Advisory Committee of the critical need for this resource. In our current health care system, patients often visit multiple providers, and can receive multiple prescriptions in an uncoordinated manner.

State and national reports indicate that the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs is the fastest growing area of use and addiction, becoming a major problem among youth and young adults.  Excluding alcohol, and after marijuana, prescription drugs are the second most commonly abused substances among every age group.

Online in 2009

The Vermont Department of Health launched the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS), on January 12, 2009. Pharmacies are required to report their controlled substance data retroactive to July 1, 2008.

Frequently Asked Questions

Health Care Provider or Dispenser Registration Forms

If you are a licensed Vermont Health Care Provider or Dispenser and would like to register to use the VPMS, please fill out the following forms:

Prescribers/Dispensers already registered with VPMS:

Professional Licensure Board Access Request Form

If you are a representative of a professional board that is responsible for the licensure, regulation or discipline of health care providers or dispensers, you may request data from VPMS pursuant to a bona fide specific investigation by filling out this form:

Individual Request Form

If you are a patient wishing to receive your own information from the VPMS relating to a controlled substance prescription, please fill out this form:

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Pharmacies and Related Dispensers Licensed by the State

In this section:

For providers with MACs:

For those providers that cannot access the VPMS, there is one potential option (that doesn't involve any IT work). The following link provides instructions and software that allows MAC users to run Windows applications (i.e., Internet Explorer).

http://www.smalldog.com/windows

Procedure Manual

A VPMS Procedure Manual is sent to each pharmacist and physician licensed by the State of Vermont.

The manual explains how to register for and access the VPMS database, including accessing the database directly using a web-portal. Providers who are registered, but do not have internet access, receive information about how to query and receive data from the VPMS.

RxSentry® Dispenser’s Implementation Guide

Health Information Designs (HID) will implement its RxSentry® System to meet the requirements for the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System for a database that acquires and maintains individual patient records of all Schedules II, III and IV drug dispensed by pharmacies licensed by the Vermont Board of Pharmacy.

The RxSentry® Dispenser’s Implementation Guide serves as a step-by-step implementation and training guide for dispensers to use RxSentry® as a repository for the reporting of their Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances.

View and download the RxSentry® Dispenser’s Implementation Guide.

Data Submission

Pharmacies or software vendors can establish submission accounts beginning November 12, 2008

Dispensers are required to report their data at least every seven (7) days. However, shorter intervals for submitting data are permitted and encouraged.

Dispensers must report controlled substance data retroactive to July 1, 2008. The deadline for reporting this data is March 31, 2009.

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Notice to be Posted

Effective July 1, 2008, pharmacies must post the following notice:

This notice advises customers picking up a prescription for controlled substances, that the prescription information will be entered into the VPMS database.

The rule directs pharmacies to "submit a Report of Controlled Substances Dispensed for each reportable prescription dispensed, beginning with data as of July 1, 2008 ( … )"

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Statutes, Rules, and Legislative Reports

Act 205 - Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (2006)

Legislative Reports

Additional Resources

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VPMS Advisory Committee

Fourteen individuals or organizations are members of the VPMS Advisory Committee, including representatives of the following:

Prescription Monitoring System Advisory Committee Membership (pdf)

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Contact Information

E-Mail: vpms@vdh.state.vt.us

Vermont Prescription Monitoring System
Vermont Department of Health
108 Cherry Street, PO Box 70
Burlington VT 05402-0070
Tel: (802) 652-4147
Fax: (802) 651-1573

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Page updated 06/23/2009