Posts Tagged ‘ Pain Management ’

Adding a New Tool to the Pain Management Toolbox

Ameritox Chief Medical Officer & Senior Vice President Dr. Harry Leider, MD, MBA, FACPE, was interviewed by Pain Management magazine and PainLive.com, where he discussed pain management, pain medication monitoring and Ameritox’s Rx GuardianSM process, featuring Rx Guardian CDSM.

From Pain Management:

Anecdotal accounts and clinical studies alike indicate that primary care physicians and other clinicians who use opioid medications to treat patients for chronic pain are struggling to implement uniform and effective abuse and misuse assessment and risk management protocols. Urine drug testing is an important part of this process, but many non-pain specialists need additional guidance and resources to support their decision-making processes in terms of administering the tests and interpreting the results.

In this Q&A, Harry L. Leider, MD, MBA, FACPE, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Ameritox, discusses the role of urine drug testing in pain management, and explains how Rx Guardian CD, a reference database and normalization algorithm, can help clinicians manage risk in their patients being treated with opioids.

> Read the full article


 

Some pain physicians say new laws could eliminate ‘pill mill’ reputation (Tampa Bay Online)

The Tampa Tribune reports that in an area known for “pill mills,” measures taken recently by state legislators may help change the public’s perception of pain doctors and stop the illicit distribution of pills.


 

Ameritox: Rx GuardianSM, with next-generation Rx Guardian CDSM technology, helps clinicians provide safe, appropriate treatment for chronic pain sufferers

  • Proprietary reference database helps clinicians identify potential medication misuse, abuse and diversion to improve quality of care and improve patient safety
  • Chronic pain is the most common cause of long-term disability in the United States – approximately 4 million U.S. patients receive chronic opioid therapy each year1
  • Listen to the podcast – Chronic pain, opioid use and Rx Guardian CD

BALTIMORE, MD (June 9, 2011) —Ameritox, the leader in pain medication monitoring, today announced the launch of Rx Guardian CDSM, its next-generation pain medication monitoring solution and part of the patented Rx GuardianSM process. This new science will help physicians interpret patients’ urine drug test (UDT) results so they can identify potential misuse, abuse or diversion of opioid pain medications. A propriety algorithm and reference database of more than 1,000 chronic pain patients assessed for adherence to their prescription regimens, Rx Guardian CDSM will assist clinicians as they evaluate if patients are taking medications as prescribed.

“For clinicians treating the 50 million U.S. chronic-pain sufferers, helping patients find safe, effective relief is the ultimate priority – and ensuring that medications are taken appropriately is a critical part of that mission,” said Harry Leider, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Ameritox. “The Rx Guardian process has evolved to include the Rx Guardian CD science, offering opioid prescribers a powerful clinical tool to help them assess patient adherence, protect patient safety and improve standards of care.”

Chronic pain is the most common cause of long-term disability in the United States, affecting 50 million Americans2. Treatment with prescription narcotics (i.e., opioids) is an effective and critical treatment for a significant subset of this population that has more severe pain that cannot be controlled with other medications and treatments. However, opioid abuse is a rapidly growing national problem, with substance abuse treatment admissions for opioid abuse among the 18-24 year-old population increasing more than 700% between 1998 and 20083.

To reduce the potential for misuse, abuse and diversion, clinical guidelines created by the American Pain Society and American Academy of Pain Medicine support routine monitoring, including urine drug testing, of chronic opioid patients to help confirm medication adherence. However, a recent study reported that just 8% of patients on long-term opioid treatment receive pain medication monitoring through urine drug testing in primary care practices4.

Rx Guardian CD consists of a new reference database of more than 1,000 pain patients who have been rigorously assessed and found to adhere to their prescription regimens. Doctors can compare their patients’ urine drug test results to those of the adherent pain patients in the reference database, helping to identify patients who are likely taking their medication correctly.

“More than ever, prescribers face the challenge of providing optimal patient care while preventing prescription drug abuse,” said Michael Barnes, spokesperson for CLAAD, the Center for Legal Access and Abuse Deterrence. “Routine monitoring using advanced drug testing technologies can help prescribers improve patient care, identify individuals who need addiction treatment, and deter and detect individuals who intend to divert or abuse medications.”

Patients, who may have no intent to abuse a medication, may not always take them correctly: they may choose to take too little due to fear of addiction, or take too much because of inadequate pain control. While traditional urine drug testing can only report the absence or presence of a drug or metabolite, the Rx Guardian CD process uses an additional technology to assist doctors in determining potential misuse or abuse of opioids. Patient results are adjusted based on physiological variables such as weight and hydration, and these adjusted values are then compared to the reference database, providing clinicians with additional information in assessing pain medication adherence.

Additional information for clinicians, patients, and policy makers can be accessed online at http://rxguardian.ameritox.com.

About Ameritox
Ameritox is the nation’s leader in pain medication monitoring solutions, offering specialized laboratory testing and reporting services. Ameritox’s expertise and innovative science provide physicians with insights and support to enhance and optimize the care of chronic pain patients. Ameritox offers the most thorough pain medication monitoring lab process — Rx GuardianSM — with Rx Guardian CDSM, the only pain medication monitoring solution with a proprietary normalization algorithm and a reference database of pain patients assessed for medication adherence. Patient results are compared against this database, helping physicians assess whether patients are taking their pain medications correctly. Medication monitoring through urine drug testing helps physicians make more informed clinical decisions and manage the risks and complexities associated with prescribing pain medications. Ameritox is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. with laboratory facilities in Midland, Texas and Greensboro, N.C. Ameritox can be found online at www.ameritox.com, on Twitter @Ameritox, or on Facebook at facebook.com/ameritox.


© 2011 Ameritox Ltd. All rights reserved. AMERITOX, the AMERITOX logos, AMERITOX AUTOREMINDER, AMERITOX MEDICATION MONITORING SOLUTIONS, AMERITOX UNIVERSITY, PAIN MEDICATION MONITORING SOLUTIONS, POWERED BY YOUR NEED TO KNOW and PROTECT YOUR PATIENTS. PROTECT YOUR PRACTICE. RX GUARDIAN, RX GUARDIAN CD, and RX GUARDIAN AUTOREMINDER are trademarks of Ameritox. Other trademarks are the claimed trademarks of others.

References
1Okie, Susan, A Flood of Opioids, a Rising Tide of Deaths. N Engl J Med 2010; 363:1981-1985. November 18, 2010.
2American Pain Foundation.Facts about pain. Available at: http://www.painfoundation.org/page_fastfacts.asp. June 30, 2008.
32009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health – HHS/SAMSHA
4Starrels JL, et al. Low use of opioid risk reduction strategies in primary care even for high risk patients with chronic pain. J Gen Intern Med. 2011; 24 Feb 2011 [Epub].


 

American Academy of Pain Medicine Asserts That Appropriate Treatment of Chronic Pain and Prevention of Drug Over-Dose Deaths Needs to Be A Priority For Military Medicine and American Healthcare (AAPM)

Several recent unintentional deaths of military personnel have drawn national attention on major news websites and Sunday morning television talk shows. While these deaths are tragic and deserve deep societal mourning and introspection, the pain experts from the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) urge media and government officials to rightly assess the many complexities of these deaths so that viable solutions can be put in place to save lives and help people with chronic pain.


 

General’s story a warning about use of painkillers

Standing before a packed hall of 700 military doctors and medics here, the deputy commander of the nation’s elite special operations forces warned about an epidemic of chronic pain sweeping through the U.S. military after a decade of continuous war.


 

Drug take-back programs bill signed into law

States and private entities can now create prescription drug take-back programs to help people safely dispose of old or unwanted medicine.


 

Board of Medicine Disciplines Doctor for Pain Pill Prescribing

As a new law cracking down on pain clinics took effect Friday, a parade of doctors came before the Florida Board of Medicine for wrongly prescribing the powerful painkillers that kill an average of seven residents a day.


 

A Battle Against Prescription Drugs Causes Pain

Roland Lorenz has surgical screws in his back and neck and a pin in his upper leg, and when his pain reared up one recent weekend, he knew he needed something strong. He had just been to a pain clinic, where the doctor ordered an increase in his dosage of Percocet, a narcotic.


 

The Thin Line Between Pain Management and Drug Addiction

Pain management has come under fire in recent years, to the detriment of some who truly could not function or participate in the basic activities of daily living without the help of prescription drugs.


 

State law makes changes for pain clinics

Pain clinics now have to meet certain criteria to receive a permit and must register with the state, and have a medical director who is board certified in pain management and holds a Florida medical license.


 

Anna Nicole Smith Verdicts Will Resonate For Doctors, Patients Using Prescription Pain Medicine

During the past few weeks, a beautiful blonde celebrity has been making cameo appearances in a downtown courtroom.


 

State must tread lightly in regulating pain control

First, do no harm. That Hippocratic maxim should be kept in mind as state government inserts itself more deeply in doctors’ decisions to treat chronic pain.


 

Texas Pain Clinic Law Cracks Down on Pill Mills

Texas seeks to eliminate so-called “pill mills,” which sell powerful narcotics to patients without first giving them an exam, say officials from the Texas Medical Association.


 

Massachusetts to Improve Online Database to Spot Prescription Drug Abuse

In an attempt to curb “doctor shopping,” or going from doctor to doctor in search of multiple prescriptions for dangerously addictive medication, Massachusetts health officials have approved a plan that will give doctors and pharmacists access to an online database that keeps track of patients’ prescriptions.


 

Website Fights Prescription Drug Abuse

Pharmacists, doctors and law enforcement personnel have a powerful internet search tool at their disposal that is being used in greater numbers to combat prescription drug abuse.


 

Nurses Perceive Barriers in Pain Management

Nurses’ perceptions of barriers preventing optimal pain management in older adults in acute medical units, as well as their perceived adoption of specific evidence-based guidelines, are not always consistent with actual practice, according to a study published in the August issue of Applied Nursing Research.


 

Unverified Pharmacies Easy to Search Online

Despite a new policy adopted by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Bing.com to help protect the public from buying fake medication – it’s easy to end up at a website of an unregulated pharmacy and not know it.


 

Children’s Consumption of Chronic Pain Medication on the Rise

In growing numbers, children across the United States are adding a dose of medicine to their daily routine.


 

New Hyannis pain center will help ease pain

Cape Cod Hospital is once again offering a pain management program, almost two years after the shuttering of the former pain clinic.


 

Pain clinic physician’s license restricted

A Houston doctor who prescribed thousands of drugs through pain management clinics had his medical license temporarily restricted this week by the Texas Medical Board.


 

 
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