DOH extends PMP/EHR integration deadline

In a letter to health care associations, Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah announced that the deadline for hospitals to integrate their electronic health record (EHR) systems with the state prescription monitoring program (PMP) has been extended to Jan. 1, 2022. The PMP/EHR integration requirement was passed by the legislature in 2019 and applies to all health care facilities with 10 or more prescribers. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH) initially extended the compliance deadline from Jan. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2021. The new deadline of Jan. 1, 2022, will provide additional time to hospitals that are still working to integrate their EHR system with the PMP. The extension does not affect the waiver process for the PMP/EHR integration, for which the DOH is currently crafting rules. Information about the PMP-EHR rulemaking is available on WSHA’s regulatory issues page.