​Pennsylvania's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PA PDMP) gives health care professionals access to crucial information to help spot the warning signs of addiction, drug diversion and potentially harmful drug-drug interactions. Most importantly, the database helps health care providers identify patients struggling with substance use disorder, so that they can be referred to treatment.

While the PA PDMP is an important tool in combatting the opioid and heroin crisis, there are many other resources available to help providers, including prescribing guidelines, screening tools, and treatment resources. The list below contains helpful links and will be continually updated and expanded.

Opioid Prescribing Guidelines

• CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
  
• Pennsylvania Prescribing and Dispensing Guidelines
  
• When to Offer Naloxone to Patients and Naloxone Resources for Patients (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  

Communicating with Patients Regarding Substance Use or Misuse

• NIH: "How Do You Start a Conversation About Your Patient's Drug Use?"
  
• Talking with Patients About Substance Use Disorder (CDC)
  
• AAFP: "A Primary Care Approach to Substance Misuse"
• CDC: Effectively Communicating with Patients about Opioid Therapy

Connecting Patients to the Resources They Need

• Single County Authorities (SCAs) are a valuable resource for clinicians and their patients who need drug and alcohol treatment. Through contracts with the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), SCAs are drug and alcohol service hubs that receive state and federal dollars to plan, coordinate, manage, and implement the delivery of drug and alcohol prevention, intervention, treatment, and treatment-related services (such as case management and recovery support) at the local level. This includes a continuum of drug and alcohol treatment services. SCAs will work with you to offer assistance to your patients who need such services. The Department of Health urges you to take advantage of SCAs. Typically, SCAs serve individuals who reside within the SCA's geographic region, but this is not always the case. Click here to locate an SCA.

Drug Abuse Screening Tools for Clinicians

• NIDA drug screening tool
• NIDA video demonstrating this drug screening tool in action

Approaches to Safer Opioid Prescribing, including Continuing Medical Education (CME) Units

• Providers' Clinical Support System for Opioid Therapies
• NIDAMED: Medical & Health Professionals
• NIDA Opioid Prescribing Resources
• NIDA "Opioid and Pain Management CMEs/CEs"
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion "Pathways to safer opioid use"
• SAMHSA's Treatment Improvement Protocol: Managing chronic pain in adults with or in recovery from substance use disorders
• New England Journal of Medicine - Pain management, addiction, and end-of-life care
  
• Pennsylvania Medical Society CME courses: "Addressing PA's opioid crisis: What the health care team needs to know"
  
• American College of Physicians' "Safe Opioid Prescribing: Strategies. Assessment. Fundamentals. Education."
  
• SAMHSA Inventory of Training and Continuing Medical Education
  
• American College of Emergency Physicians: Opioid Toolkit, Training, and Continuing Medical Education
  

Patient Education Materials on Opioids

• Lock Your Meds
• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: "What Can I Say to Get You to Stop? How to talk to someone who abuses alcohol or other drugs"
  

Patient Agreements Regarding Opioid Use

• Sample Treatment Agreement (PA DOH)

Early Intervention and Treatment Resources

• Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Resources from SAMHSA
• Lock Your Meds
  
• HHS Guide for Clinicians on the Appropriate Dosage Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Analgesics
  

State Resources Available for You

• DDAP Get Help Now
• DDAP Provider Search Function
• DDAP Benefits Navigator
• DDAP Prescription Drug Take-Back Program
• DOH Naloxone Standing Order for Overdose Prevention
  
• PAStop.org
• Pennsylvania Substance Use Navigation (PA-SUN) Program

National Treatment Resources

• SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator
• SAMHSA Opioid Prescribing Courses for Health Care Providers
• FDA - Disposal of unused medicines: What you should know
• American Society of Addiction Medicine
• National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws
• US Drug Enforcement Agency
• Office of National Drug Control Policy

Lists of Controlled Substances

• DEA: List of controlled substances in alphabetic order (PDF)
• CDC Table: Morphine milligram equivalent doses for commonly prescribed pain management
  
• Pennsylvania Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act (PDF)