ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland Department of Health Office of Controlled Substances Administration (OCSA) recently launched a web-based platform for applicants to easily renew their controlled dangerous substances (CDS) registration online. The CDS Registration Renewal digital platform can be accessed through the state's official website, www.maryland.gov or directly by visiting ww.egov.maryland.gov/mdh/cds.
OCSA enforces the CDS Act and ensures the availability of drugs for legitimate medical and scientific purposes while working to prevent drug abuse. OCSA issues CDS permits to practitioners, researchers, and establishments that administer, prescribe, dispense, distribute, manufacture, conduct research, and conduct chemical analysis of controlled dangerous substances.
More than 39,000 registrants in 35 classifications are required to renew CDS registrations on a three-year cycle. During peak months, as many as 3,000 registrants will renew. The new CDS Registration Renewal platform is expected to reduce processing time in issuing CDS registrations.
The CDS Registration Renewal platform includes functionality designed to create an efficient and user-friendly experience for applicants that include:
- Connecting in real-time to the four main professional licensing boards (Physicians, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry) to verify applicants have an active professional license with no disciplinary actions/orders – 95 percent of the applicants are part of one of these boards
- Connecting in real-time to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) database to verify the applicants are registered
- Prompting applicants to upload required documentation
- Automatically displaying appropriate renewal term and fee based on applicant record
- Processing fee-exempt registrations
With the new CDS Registration platform, applicants have the added convenience of making renewal payments with a major credit or debit card 24 hours per day 7 days per week at no additional cost.
This service was developed at no cost to the OCSA through a statewide self-funded digital eGovernment master services contract with the Department of Information Technology (DoIT). The support and maintenance for this service is being funded by OCSA.
About NIC Maryland
NIC Maryland builds, operates, maintains, and markets the official website of the state of Maryland, www.maryland.gov and its digital government services. NIC Maryland is a collaborative public/private partnership managed by the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) and NIC Maryland. NIC Maryland helps Maryland state and local government entities web-enable their services and operates without tax funds through a self-funded digital government services contract. NIC Maryland has developed dozens of digital government products and services for the state of Maryland since the contract was awarded in August 2011.
About NIC
NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation’s premier provider of innovative digital government solutions and secure payment processing, which help make government interactions more accessible for everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies has developed a library of more than 13,000 digital government services for more than 5,500 federal, state, and local government agencies. Among these solutions is the ground-breaking personal assistant for government, Gov2Go, delivering citizens personalized reminders and a single platform for all government interactions. More information is available at www.egov.com.