Pain & Addiction, Best Practices & Proper Prescribing: The Creative Tension of Addiction Treatment and Recovery

Released: February 8, 2024
Expires: February 7, 2027
Credits: 3.5 CME, 4.2 Nursing, 4.2 Nursing Pharmacology, 3.5 ADA CERP, 3.5 MOC points (ABIM, ABS)
Credit Fee: Free to view, $55 to claim credit
Target Audience: This course is designed for all clinicians—physicians, dentists, nurses, physician assistants and others—who prescribe opioid medications and who care for patients receiving opioid medications.

Following completion of this web course, participants should be able to:

Describe specific statutory requirements including rules and regulations of the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy, West Virginia Board of Medicine and West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine relating to controlled substance prescribers
Explain the importance of registering and use of the West Virginia Controlled Substances Monitoring Program established in West Virginia Code Chapter 60A, Article 9
Describe recent legislative changes; compliance with controlled substance laws and rules related to substance abuse and prescription drug abuse
Recognize the impact of legislative changes on physician practices and their patients
Explain and discuss current West Virginia statistics on prescription drug diversion, abuse, intoxications and resulting deaths
Recognize the importance of utilizing the WV Board of Pharmacy query to detect “doctor shopping” and diversion behaviors
Describe the role of the Chief Medical Examiner in death investigations
Explain the competent certification of deaths for the purposes of Vital Statistics
Recognize best practice methods for working with patients suspected of drug seeking behavior, diversion and other aberrant behavior
Describe the tactics and behaviors of best practices of suspected doctor shopping, drug seeking and drug diversion
Explain prescribing and administration of an opioid antagonist
Discuss case studies on best practices for indication and contraindication of opioids in chronic pain treatment, general characteristics, including toxicities and drug interactions
Describe the risk assessment and tools, examination and evaluation of the pain patient
Explain the initiation and ongoing management of chronic pain patient treated with opioid based therapies, including treatment objectives; monitoring and periodic review; referrals and consultations; informed consent; prescription of controlled substance agreements, urine screens and pill counts; patient education on safe use, storage and disposal of opioids; discontinuation of opioids for pain due to lack of benefits or increased risks; documentation and medical records
Describe and explain the epidemiology of chronic pain and misuse of opioids including the economic social impact
Recognize patient risk stratification and opioid prescribing

Board Approvals

West Virginia Board of Medicine
The West Virginia Board of Medicine recognizes that this excellent course satisfies the requirements as stipulated in §11CSR6 and therefore, approves this program for its allopathic physicians, podiatric physicians and physician assistants.

West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine
This program has been approved by the WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine and will satisfy the required 3 hours of CME for Drug Diversion Training and Best Practice Prescribing of Controlled Substances training for DO's and Osteopathic Physician Assistants.

West Virginia Board of Dentistry
The WV Board of Dentistry has reviewed and determined that successful completion of this course will meet the WV required CE related to Drug Diversion and Best Practices Prescribing of Controlled Substances.