Are hospitals required to report to the prescription monitoring program?

Hospitals are not required to report to the prescription monitoring program in New Jersey. This is primarily because the focus of prescription monitoring programs (PMPs) is to track prescriptions issued to outpatients, where the risk of misuse or diversion of controlled substances is higher. In the context of inpatient care, prescriptions are typically administered within the hospital setting, and patients do not take these medications home.

The objective of PMPs is to enhance patient safety and reduce prescription drug abuse by monitoring controlled substance prescriptions. Outpatient prescriptions present a more significant challenge with regard to tracking and potential misuse, which is why healthcare providers in outpatient settings are mandated to report. This distinction ensures that the monitoring program can effectively target its efforts where they are most needed in the context of public health and safety. Thus, since hospitals mainly administer medications to patients during their stay, reporting is not required for them.