Prescribing Practices

Tags: end-of-life, durable medical equipment, evaluation, power mobility device, prescription

Monday, January 30, 2012 3:42:00 PM

Prescribing practices

Chronic pain resource helps evaluate risks for opioid misuse and abuse
The abuse of illicit drugs and prescription medications present serious challenges for many physicians, and has resulted in a greater need for thorough assessment, establishing clear expectations, patient education, and ongoing monitoring. PERFORM—or Patient Evaluation Resources For Opioid Risk Management—is an interactive resource from Purdue Pharma that is designed to provide information and tools to assess the risk of medication misuse in patients who require opioid therapy by engaging the physician in critical thinking and real-world practical application.

> To order a free copy of PERFORM, visit www.PurduePharmaMedEdResources.com and register or sign in. Enter “PERFORM” in the keyword search field, click the resource title and “Add to Cart.” Finally, indicate the quantity, then “Apply Changes” and “Place Order.”

Learn more about pain management, opioid abuse with AAFP paper
AAFP is actively working toward a solution to America’s pain management and opioid abuse epidemics through advocacy, collaboration, and education. A new resource outlining AAFP’s formal position, “Pain Management and Opioid Abuse: A Public Health Concern,” is now available. The 16-page document outlines AAFP’s action plan, as well as what others are doing to evaluate and mitigate products at risk of abuse, educate actively practicing physicians on identifying patients at high risk of abuse, and train future physicians to understand chronic pain and its treatment.
> Access the document on AAFP’s website, here.
> Additional resources for physicians can be found under pain management and opioid abuse on the AAFP website, here

Medicare annual wellness visits require a health risk assessment: Access a tool from AAFP
In response to a new CMS requirement that physicians complete a health risk assessment (HRA) as part of the Medicare annual wellness visit (AWV), AAFP’s Family Practice Management journal published a questionnaire for you. Developed by HowsYourHealth.org, it meets the requirements for the HRA and can help identify health behaviors and risk factors in patients.
> Read an FPM article about the HRA and access the questionnaire at www.aafp.org/fpm/2012/0300/p11.html

End-of-life issues
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services was created to administer long-term services and supports for people who are aging and who have cognitive and physical disabilities. DADS also licenses and regulates providers of these services, and administers the state’s guardianship program. Visit the forms and handbooks section of the DADS website to access forms on a variety of end-of-life issues or choose from the list below.