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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    ​To prevent prescription drug abuse and protect the health and safety of our community, the Pennsylvania Department of Health collects information on all filled prescriptions for controlled substances. Controlled substances are drugs that have potential for abuse or dependence.

    The information from this program helps health care providers safely prescribe controlled substances and helps patients get the treatment they need.

    Need Help?

    If you or someone you care about needs addiction treatment, visit the Get Help Now website or call the 24/7 hotline, 1-800-662-4357.

    Your Rights

    Patients have the right to review and correct the information collected by the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) once per calendar quarter at no cost. If you would like a copy of your information, complete the Patient Prescription History Request Form (PDF) and mail or email it to the address on the form. Patients can receive a copy of their information more than once per calendar quarter for a fee of $20 per copy.

    Patients may request corrections to their prescription records as identified from the PA PDMP system in writing using the Patient Prescription Correction Request Form(PDF). All requested details must be included in order to process the correction request. All the information entered in the PA PDMP system comes from dispensers and pharmacies (Pennsylvania and nonresident) that dispense in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The pharmacy or the dispenser needs to correct the information in their system and submit a corrected record to the PA PDMP system. The Pennsylvania Department of Health will not modify any data submitted to the PA PDMP system.

    Privacy and Confidentiality

    Health information in the PA PDMP is protected by the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and other state laws. The HIPAA privacy rule and state law protects the privacy of individuals' health information. Prescription records will be maintained for seven years. Authorized users of the PA PDMP system include prescribers, dispensers, the attorney general's office (on behalf of law enforcement), designated commonwealth personnel, and medical examiners or county coroners. Prescription information is confidential and is not subject to the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law.

    Patient Advocacy Program

    If you are a patient who is prescribed controlled substance medication and have abruptly lost access to care, please visit the Patient Advocacy Program page.