Improving Safety of Chronic Opioid Prescribing

The management of chronic noncancer pain with opioid medications is controversial. The negative consequences have been described as a public health emergency and the efficacy of chronic opioid therapy remains a subject of significant debate.

Despite recommendations that chronic opioid therapy not be utilized until other methods fail, there remains a large population of patients for whom no other therapy has been effective and a large cohort of people who have been treated for years with opioids.

Many new patients are still started and maintained on chronic opioid therapy. This course describes one system’s use of clinical pharmacists incorporated into the pain management team to reduce risks. Participants will learn how the pharmacists are utilized in this team-based model.

Topics covered will include the nuts and bolts about how to incorporate pharmacists into clinical management, outcomes of the model of care, DEA certification for pharmacists, billing for services, and lessons learned.