Ameritox

Patients

If you are a patient with chronic pain, finding the safest and most effective treatment is of the utmost importance. One of the most useful tools your doctor has to monitor your treatment plan, and avoid potentially harmful drug-to-drug interactions, is regular urine drug testing. Ameritox pain medication monitoring solutionsSM gives you and your doctor the resources and information that will help you both to achieve the best possible outcomes.

If your chronic pain treatment plan includes an opioid prescription, your doctor will want to take steps to protect your safety and to carefully monitor your progress. All opioids are powerful drugs. They can be very effective in treating moderate to severe pain. In a carefully monitored treatment plan, opioid therapy can bring significant relief from pain symptoms with minimal side effects or risks to you, the chronic pain patient.

Opioid therapy, like many advanced medical treatments, does involve certain well-understood risks. There are risks to taking opioid medications that you and your doctor must manage for your safety and the optimal benefits of the medication. In order to be sure that your treatment is going as planned, your doctor will want to carefully monitor your opioid usage. One of the best tools available to monitor opioid treatment is regular urine drug testing.

By choosing you for monitoring through Ameritox, your doctor is showing his or her commitment to helping you manage your chronic pain and protect your safety. The information from your test results will help your doctor to determine if you are taking the medication correctly and if your treatment plan is progressing as planned. With this and your other diagnostic information, you and your physician can prevent harmful drug-to-drug interactions and identify ways to refine your treatment plan, if necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ameritox pain medication monitoring solutionsSM are an important part of your chronic pain management. We encourage you to learn how pain medication monitoring solutions can help you and your physician develop the most effective treatment plan.

Q. Why do I need urine drug monitoring?

A. Urine drug monitoring is an important tool, along with other clinical information, that helps your doctor better determine the best way to treat your chronic pain. It is a tool that provides more information about the medications in your system. The information in your test results can also detect dangerous drug-to-drug interactions and can help protect you from the inherent risks of opioid therapy.

Q. My doctor hasn’t been testing me. What made him decide to test me now?

A. Providing a sample for urine drug monitoring is not an indication that your doctor suspects anything or that you may be doing anything wrong. Your doctor may be doing randomized testing of his chronic pain patients. What that means is that rather than having to decide who might best benefit from testing, he or she will pick patients for testing at random intervals. That way, no patient is ever singled out and no patient is accidentally skipped over.

Q. Can I refuse to be tested?

A. When a doctor chooses to use urine drug monitoring as a part of his or her chronic pain treatments, it is usually integral to how he or she makes important decisions regarding your care. It also indicates that the drugs prescribed as part of your medication regimen are of a nature that should be closely monitored. As a result, refusing to be tested may make it impossible for your doctor to continue your treatment in a manner that he or she sees as effective and safe. As a patient you have the right to refuse testing, however, your doctor may exercise his right to refuse to continue your care. Please remember that your doctor is committed to your well-being and safety.

Q. How can I best work with my doctor to get the most out of testing?

A. There are things you can do to help ensure your urine drug test results help your doctor in providing the best care. Here is how you can best partner with your doctor:

  • Prepare for each doctor visit. Be ready to tell your physician about any other prescription or non-prescription drugs, vitamins, or supplements you are taking, or bring everything in if you think you’ll have trouble remembering.
  • Educate yourself. The more you know about the medication you are taking, the more you will understand the effects, any potential side-effects and risks.
  • Take notes. Writing down what your doctor tells you will help you follow his or her directions.
  • Be careful to follow your doctor’s directions. It is your doctor who best understands you and your treatment.
  • Update your physician. Be aware of possible side effects and discuss them with your doctor. Many people experience side effects and sometimes it’s possible to switch to another medication. Let your physician know of any other physicians you see or other medications you take.
  • Spread good news. Don’t just tell your physician the bad news. They like to hear the positive, too.

Q. What if I have questions about my Ameritox Rx GuardianSM results reports?

A. If you have questions about your results report, it’s best to ask your doctor.  He or she will be able to help you understand your results. Much of the information in your Rx Guardian results report will be of a technical nature.

Q. What is your billing policy?

A. Ameritox services are covered by most leading insurers and health plans. As a convenience to you, Ameritox will bill the charges for our services directly to your insurer or health plan on your behalf. Your insurer will then indicate how much, if any, of these charges are your responsibility to pay directly to Ameritox. You will be responsible for paying any deductible, co-payment or co-insurance amounts, as well as for services not covered by your insurer or health plan.

Q. What if I can’t afford Ameritox’s services?

A. Financial assistance is available to patients that meet certain financial criteria (based on government  guidelines). We encourage you to submit a financial assistance application to Ameritox prior to making any payments to your account. Once made, payments cannot be refunded. If you do not qualify for a discount or the discount is not sufficient, we will make every effort to develop a plan that works for you. Simply call the Ameritox Billing Hotline at (877) 643-6179 during the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (ET).

Q. What if I have questions regarding my bill?

A. If you have questions or concerns regarding an Ameritox bill, call the Ameritox Billing Hotline at (877) 643-6179 during the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (ET).

Q. Will my medical information be kept confidential, and how can I get access to it?

A. Ameritox is committed to protecting the privacy of your personal and health information, including individual laboratory test results and other patient protected health information that we collect or create as part of our testing activities. We urge you to read our Notice of Privacy Practices carefully so that you will understand both our commitment to the privacy of your information, and how you can participate in that commitment. Should you have any questions about our privacy practices, please call us Toll Free at (888) 494-2165 and ask for the Privacy Officer, or send an email to privacy.officer@ameritox.com, or write to us at the following address:

Attention Privacy Officer
Ameritox, Ltd.
300 East Lombard Street
, Suite 1610
Baltimore, MD 21202