Managing Risk When Prescribing Narcotic Painkillers for
Patients
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Original Publish Date:
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July 5, 2011
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Review Date(s):
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NA
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Term of Approval End Date:
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July 5, 2012
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Estimated Time to Complete:
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1 Hour
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Risk Management:
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Yes
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Course Format:
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Text
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Course Fee:
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Mbrs-$10, Non Mbrs-$20
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To
participate in this CME activity: (1) review the information on this
page which includes the learning objectives and faculty disclosures; (2)
read the course pages; (3) complete the exam; (4) view/print
certificate.
Course Information
General Information
If you need to stop in the middle of a course, you
may return to the course at anytime to finish. When you have finished reading the course pages
click on CME Exam in the Course Sections box (top right). To begin this CME activity, read through the
information on this page and then click on the Start Course
button.
Course Overview
This CME activity explores the
rise in legal issues that could result in mismanagement of opioids for
the treatment of pain. According to a study of Massachusetts death
files for 1990 to 2003, opioid-related fatal poisoning rates increased
by 529%. Similar studies confirm that this is not an issue limited
to Massachusetts but is a national and international problem. The
use of opioids, more commonly known as narcotics, have continued to
increase for the management of pain. Physicians need to be aware
of the legal concerns of pain management and actionable steps they can
take in their practice that may reduce that risk such
as:
Setup systems to identify
and monitor patients for potential drug abuse Enter into pain management
contracts with patients Identify when to refer to a
certified pain specialist Understand the potential
legal consequences of terminating the physician-patient
relationship
Intended Audience
This course is intended for physicians and allied health
professionals.
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Course Objectives
Review data on the magnitude of the opioid issues
in Massachusetts and elsewhere in the country. Describe some successfully implemented strategies
to cope with this epidemic rise in opioid addiction. Explore risk management methods for practitioners
to that may limit potential liability exposure.
Course Credit
Deadline for completing the course is July 5,
2012.
The Massachusetts Medical Society designates
this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category
1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only credit
commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This program meets the criteria of the Massachusetts
Board of Registration in Medicine for risk management study.
Participants will receive a confidential report of their
examination score. You must receive a score of 70% or better to receive
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. A confirmation of
credit will be issued at the end of the course to those who successfully
complete the examination.
Each activity has been planned and
implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through
the Joint Sponsorship of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Lawyers
Weekly, Inc., publisher of Massachusetts Medical Law Report.
The Massachusetts Medical Society
is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for
physicians.
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Course Fees
Managing Risk When Prescribing Narcotic Painkillers for
Patients and all associated course materials are available free of
charge. An opportunity to complete an exam and receive AMA PRA
Category 1 Credit™ for a nominal fee is available at the end
of the course. The course fees are as follows:
Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) Member: $10 ($10 per
credit)
Non-MMS member: $20 ($20 per credit)
Disclosure/Commercial Support
The following course content developers have no
financial interests or relationships to disclose.
Henry Tulgan, MD, FACP
Reni Gertner, MPH, Editor Lawyers Weekly
Eric Berkman, Freelancer, Lawyers Weekly
Kathleen Bellisle, Manager of MMS Distance Learning
Thelma Tatten, Program Coordinator, MMS Distance Learning
Off-label Disclosure
This course does not include any discussion of an
off-label use of a commercial product or an investigational use not yet
approved for any purpose by the FDA.
Commercial Support
No commercial support was received for this online
program.
Content Disclaimer
The Massachusetts Medical Society
does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this
CME program, which was provided by Lawyers Weekly, Inc. and summarized
by Henry Tulgan, MD, FACP. The views expressed are not necessarily those
of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
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Online Course Developers
Henry Tulgan, MD, FACP
Reni Gertner, MPH, Editor Lawyers Weekly
Kathleen Bellisle, Manager of MMS Distance Learning
Thelma Tatten, Program Coordinator, MMS Distance Learning
Bibliography
Federation of State
Medical Boards of the United States, Inc., Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Physician's
Guide
American Academy of Pain Management,
Prescribing Issue, Opioid Agreements &
Contracts
Compton WM, Volkow ND. Major increases in opioid analgesic use in the United
States: Concerns and strategies.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2006 Feb (81): 103-107
Fernandez W, Hackman H, McKeon L, Anderson T, Hume B. Trends in opioid-related fatal overdoses in
Massachusetts,
1990-2003. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2006 Sept.
(31):151-156
Murray TP, Auerbach J. Fighting the opiate crisis in
Mass.
The Boston Globe. February 4, 2010
Fischer B, Rehm J, Patra J, Cruz MF. Changes in illicit opioid use across Canada.
CMAJ Nov. 21, 2006; 175(11). doi:10.1503/cmaj.060729
Soderlund
K. Dentists seek to curb abuse when helping patients manage
pain.
ADA News, June 7, 2010
Webster LR, Dove B. Avoiding Opioid Abuse While Managing Pain.
Sunrise River Press 2008. Fishman SM, Kreis PG, Jamison RN. The Opioid
Contract, Clin. Jour. of Pain, July/Aug. 2002 (18):4, S70-S75
Manchikanti L, Manchukonda R, Damron KS, Brandon F, McManus CD, Cash
K. Does adherence monitoring reduce controlled substance
abuse in chronic pain patients?
Pain Physician 2006 Jan; 9(1):57-60
Model Policy for the Use of Controlled Substances for
the Treatment of Pain, Federation of State Medical Boards of the United
States, Inc., Adopted as policy May 2004.
American Academy of
Pain Medicine
Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States,
Inc.,
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Hardware & Software
Requirements
Supported
Browsers
Internet Explorer v.7 or greater (for Windows)
Mozilla Firefox v.2 or greater (for Windows, Mac, Linux)
Minimum
System Requirements
Windows
Systems Requirements
A
Pentium-based PC or compatible computer. At
least 64MB of RAM. Windows
95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP/Vista system software. Screen
resolution of 1024 x 786 or larger recommended PDF
Reader: Adobe Reader 5.0 or higher, Foxit Reader 2.0 or likewise.
Mac OS System Requirements
Policies
Contact Us
Contact us at continuingeducation@mms.org
or (800) 322-2303, ext. 7306. Massachusetts Medical Society, 860 Winter
Street, Waltham, MA 02451.
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