Patient Alerts FAQ

Answer: Patient Alerts are notifications for prescribers indicating that a patient has met or exceeded one or more high-risk thresholds and the prescriber is associated with a contributing dispensation. Minnesota Statute 152.126 subd. 6(j) gives by the Board the authority to establish criteria, in consultation with the advisory task force, for referring information about a patient to prescribers who prescribed the prescriptions involved in the alert.

Answer: The MN PMP currently sends three types of alerts:

• Prescriber & Dispenser Thresholds Alert – generates an alert when a specified number* of Prescribers and Dispensers is met or exceeded within a set time period. 
• Daily Active MME Threshold Alert – generates an alert when the daily active MME (morphine milligram equivalent) is greater than or equal to a specified value*.
• Opioid & Benzodiazepine Threshold Alert – Generates an alert when opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions overlap.

*Specific number/value threshold can be seen by viewing an alert in AWARxE

Answer: There are three ways that Patient Alert Notifications may appear:

Monthly Email Notification

On a monthly basis (4th Wednesday of each month), an email notification is sent to all prescribers that have triggered one or more of the above alert criteria in the previous month. The email will ask you to login to your MN PMP AWARxE account to view your Patient Alerts. The most recent alerts can be seen on MyDashboard immediately when you login.  Go to Menu > RxSearch > Patient Alerts* to view a full list with the ability to filter by name, date, etc. 

Within your AWARxE Account

Simply login to your MN PMP AWARxE account at any time to view Patient Alerts for your patients. Viewable on MyDashboard or by going to Menu > RxSearch > Patient Alerts* to view a full list with the ability to filter by name, date, etc.  

*PLEASE NOTE: clicking on an individual Patient Alert displays ONLY the prescriptions that contributed to the alert in the timeframe specified (see the Start Date and End Date of report generated).  To view a full 12-month NarxCare report for patient, go to Menu > RxSearch > Patient Search.

Within a NarxCare Report - State Indicators

Any authorized account holder that searches for your patient will be able to view the Patient Alert "flag" within the NarxCare Risk Indicators Section under State Indicators. 

Answer: You are not obligated to take any action in response to the alert. Patient Alerts are intended to help identify potential high-risk situations that the prescriber may or may not be aware of. Prescribers should only act as a result of receiving an alert if clinically appropriate. Patient medical history and current diagnoses are not known by the program, therefore not considered when the alert is generated. 
The intent of this alert is not to judge your prescribing or your patient’s conduct but to help facilitate well-informed prescribing.

Answer: Patient Alerts are generated based upon the data that is submitted to the PMP. If a patient that you receive an alert regarding is unfamiliar to you, it is possible that the data was reported to the PMP incorrectly. Please examine your MyRx report and contact the dispenser if errors are discovered.

Answer: If you decide that your patient will benefit from a referral to a treatment center, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has an online source for persons seeking treatment facilities in the United States (https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/).

Please see the Substance Use Disorder and Treatment Resources for Healthcare Providers page for additional help.   

Answer: Patient Alerts are not intended to be used as notifications of criminal activity. Your Patient Alerts or MN PMP Reports cannot be shared with law enforcement. 

Answer: Currently, there is no opt-out mechanism regarding Patient Alerts. The Legislature allows the MN PMP to send these messages to prescribers for their patients with questionable controlled substance activity. It is your choice on how you use the information provided by the alert.

From My Dashboard

 Alerts for your patients are viewable within your AWARxE account via My Dashboard. My Dashboard is the landing page when you log into your MN PMP account.

From Patient Alerts Table

Clicking "View All Patient Alerts" from My Dashboard will take you to view a full list of Patient Alerts with the ability to filter by name, date, etc. Clicking the patient's name will present the Patient Alert prescription details*. 

*PLEASE NOTE: clicking on the patient’s name displays ONLY the prescriptions that contributed to the alert in the timeframe specified (see the Start Date and End Date of report generated).  To view a full 12-month NarxCare report for patient, go to Menu > RxSearch > Patient Search. 

From within the NarxCare Report

Roles that are authorized to view Patient Alerts in the State Indicators segment of the patient report will see Patient Alert "flags" for any active alerts triggered. Selecting “Details” on the State Indicators tile will present a pop-up with more information regarding each alert.  Please note that the patient report only shows active alerts; you may see alerts on your dashboard or Patient Alerts section that are no longer present on the patient report due to the expiration of the alert.