EHR Integration for Prescription Drug Monitoring

Ensuring Patient Safety at the Time of Prescribing

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Overview

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are critical for promoting safe prescribing practices and reducing misuse of controlled substance medications. Before prescribing a controlled substance medication, providers are required to check a patient’s prescription history within their state. Traditonally this requires providers to leave a patient’s chart in the electronic health record (EHR) and login to an individual state’s database to access this information, which adds unnecessary friction to their workflow and can create delays at the time of prescribing.

Through a third-party integration with Bamboo Health we were able to bring PDMP data into the EHR and enable providers to view that information at the time of prescribing within a patient’s chart. Additionally, we gave providers the flexibility to access that information outside of the prescribing workflow, still within the patient’s chart.

This integration was necessary compliance udpate to meet Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT) standards and was also required by the state of Washington. I led the design for integrating this workflow into our EHR, ensuring our providers could access key prescribing insights seamlessly, without breaking focus or introducing unnecessary friction.

Challenge

Providers were required to consult PDMP databases before prescribing controlled substances, but the process was cumbersome:

• Context switching: They had to exit the EHR, log in to a separate portal, and then return to document findings.

• Workflow disruption: This added minutes to each encounter, increasing frustration and reducing efficiency.

• Risk of oversight: The extra steps created risk of incomplete checks, impacting patient safety and compliance.

The challenge was to design a seamless integration that surfaced PDMP data in the right place, at the right time—minimizing friction while supporting safer prescribing.

Solution & Impact

I designed an embedded PDMP integration that surfaced prescribing data directly within the EHR, eliminating the need for separate logins or context-switching. The interface prioritized key risk indicators while allowing providers to expand into detailed histories when needed, and it only appeared when prescribing controlled substances.

This streamlined approach reduced friction, improved compliance, and gave providers faster, more confident access to the information they needed—ultimately supporting safer prescribing decisions with minimal disruption to patient care.

Research & Insights

To understand provider needs and constraints, I took the following steps:

• Provider interviews: Identified which PDMP data points were most essential for safe and confident prescribing decisions.

• Workflow observations: Examined how providers currently accessed PDMP reports, and where disruptions occurred in the prescribing process.

• Cross-team collaboration: Partnered with engineering and Bamboo Health to ensure the design aligned with both technical constraints and regulatory requirements.

Insights included:

1. Embedded access was essential: Providers mainly wanted PDMP results surfaced directly within the prescribing workflow

2. Context determined relevance: Reports needed to display only when prescribing controlled substances, avoiding unnecessary noise for non-controlled medications

3. Flexibility was required: Providers needed access to PDMP data in multiple scenarios—both when initiating a new prescription and when renewing existing ones

Reflection

This project reinforced the importance of meeting clinicians where they are—designing workflows that reduce friction instead of adding new layers of complexity. By grounding the design in research and aligning with compliance requirements, I was able to deliver a solution that not only improved efficiency but also directly contributed to safer patient care.