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Ameritox

Rx GuardianSM Technology & Process: Urine drug screening & pain medication monitoring with Ameritox

Most urine drug testing simply determines the absence or presence of a drug. The Ameritox Rx GuardianSM process with Rx Guardian CDSM is the only urine drug monitoring solution that uses a proprietary normalization algorithm and compares patient normalized results to a reference database of adherent chronic pain patients.

Your patients’ normalized results can be compared against results in this database, giving you added assurance in assessing whether your patients are taking their medication correctly.

Contact Ameritox to learn more about the Rx GuardianSM process.

The Rx GuardianSM process results in the Rx Guardian results reportSM, a comprehensive report that gives you insight to help you assess your patients’ pain medication adherence. This process includes:

1. Specimen Validity Testing Once a urine specimen is received in one of our labs, it is scanned into the system and receives a unique lab accession number for the most reliable identification and tracking. Then an alliquoted sample undergoes validity testing (as a part of Initial Testing) using pH values, specific gravity and creatinine to ensure it is a human sample and that it has not been diluted or adulterated.

2. Initial Screening An initial Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) test screens for the presence of opiates, benzodiazepines, illicits and other prescribed or non-prescribed medications.

3. Confirmation Testing If the EIA test result is positive, the sample undergoes confirmation testing through one of the following methods:

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is used to create a fingerprint-like match for each detected prescription medication or illicit. This technology’s superior sensitivity can detect drugs or metabolites at some of the lowest levels in the industry.

Liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) is used when optimal specificity and sensitivity are required to determine the absence or presence of your patients’ prescribed medications as well as the presence of non-prescribed medications or illicits.

The methodology to obtain confirmation depends on the type of drug being tested.

4. Rx Guardian CDSM – Reference database supported by a proprietary algorithm
Once a specimen has undergone laboratory testing the results are certified by our Ameritox Certifying Scientists. We then apply our proprietary normalization algorithm to the test results as part of Rx Guardian CDSM.

  • Rx Guardian CDSM is the most comprehensive reference database in chronic pain management, supported by a proprietary normalization algorithm.
  • Our proprietary database and process are derived from more than one thousand actual chronic pain patients.
  • A rigorous assessment protocol identifies patients who are adherent to their chronic opioid therapy.
  • The Rx Guardian proprietary algorithm adjusts drug levels for physiologic variables, generating a normalized drug value.
  • These normalized values populate the Rx Guardian CDSM reference database.
  • Your patients’ results can be compared against this dynamic database of adherent pain patients to help you assess whether your patients are taking their medication correctly.

5. Rx Guardian Results Report Results are delivered in a comprehensive Rx GuardianSM results report, which includes your patient’s normalized value and compares it to the Rx Guardian CDSM reference database.

The comprehensive and easy-to-interpret Rx GuardianSM results report indicates where test results are inconsistent with the treatment plan—along with explanations of findings. In addition, experienced Ameritox Toxicology SpecialistsSM are available for consultation on results.

See a sample Rx GuardianSM results report and learn how to interpret the results.

When interpreting patient results:

  • Less than 5% of adherent patients in the Rx Guardian CDSM database have standard scores less than -2 or greater than +2. *
  • Less than 1% of adherent patients in the Rx Guardian CDSM database have standard scores less than -3 or greater than +3. *
  • Patients whose normalized drug values exceed two standard scores from the reference database mean, accompanied by clinical indicators of risk (such as aberrant behaviors), may have a higher likelihood of drug abuse, misuse, or diversion.
  • Patients whose normalized drug values fall within two standard scores from the mean of the index database, and who lack clinical indicators of risk (such as aberrant behaviors), may have a lower likelihood of drug abuse, misuse, or diversion.

Using the Ameritox Virtual ToxicologistSM, the Rx GuardianSM results report also provides helpful results explanations of any findings that are inconsistent with the prescribed medication treatment plan.

It all adds up to unique insight that only Ameritox can provide—insight that is informing thousands of chronic pain treatment conversations every day.

Contact Ameritox todayto learn more about pain medication monitoring solutions or to make the Rx GuardianSM process a part of your practice.