According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), opioids (including prescription opioids, heroin, and fentanyl) killed more than 42,000 people in 2016, more than any year on record. 40% of all opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid. The CDC states that the increased use of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) continue to be among the most promising state-level interventions to improve opioid prescribing, inform clinical practice, and protect patients at risk. 

Thanks to a national initiative funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and led by the IJIS Institute, states can share prescription information with one another – and potentially save lives.

The primary goal of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Information Exchange (PMIX) is to establish a national interoperability architecture, specifications, and a reusable infrastructure for the secure, reliable, and sustainable interstate exchange of state prescription data.

The IJIS Institute piloted the secure information exchange of live data between Kentucky and Ohio that provided proof of concept and participated in the PMIX State Assistance Project to accelerate nationwide PMIX adoption across the U.S. Today, the developed architecture is in use across all 50 states.