Removing the Pain from Prescribing Pain Meds
By Robin Rumancik

Chronic pain is one of the most frequent reasons people seek medical attention in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

If you prescribe opioids for chronic pain, there are things you need to know to protect your patients as well as your practice, including knowing which patients need drug monitoring and what type of monitoring should be implemented. 

Thankfully, the Texas Medical Association’s new e-book, Monitoring Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain, serves as a brief resource for that information and more, such as:

• How to talk to patients about drug testing;
• The limitations of urine screenings; and
• How to obtain confirmatory tests.

The guide also provides sample forms for patient agreements, pain management agreements, and informed consent.

For more information, explore the latest news from TMA on opioids, including recent requirements for use of the Prescription Monitoring Program in Texas, also known as PMPAware.

As with most of TMA’s CME programming, Monitoring Opioid Therapy is free for TMA members and their practice staff, thanks to a generous sponsorship by the Texas Medical Association Insurance Trust.