MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF PAIN MANAGEMENT 
IN AN EVER-EVOLVING OPIOID EPIDEMIC: 2024
RPC ID: EG-001072

LAUNCH DATE/EXPIRATION DATE
This activity was initially launched on December 15, 2022 and will expire in March 2024. 

TARGET AUDIENCE
The primary audience for this initiative will be all providers eligible to prescribe opioid analgesics. A secondary audience includes non-prescribers involved in the care of patients receiving opioid analgesic therapy, nonpharmacologic therapies, and non-opioid medication therapies for the management of pain. Collectively these include physicians, dentists and oral surgeons, residents and fellows, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and registered nurses.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Describe the scope and burden of chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD) in the United States 
2. Explain the four phases of the overdose epidemic and its convergence with the COVID-19 pandemic 
3. Assess patients in pain and set goals for pain management and functionality
4. Evaluate the range of therapeutic options for managing pain, including non-pharmacological approaches and pharmacological therapies (non-opioid and opioid analgesics)
5. Integrate opioid analgesics into an acute pain treatment plan individualized to the needs of the patient
6. Counsel patients and caregivers about the use of naloxone for opioid overdose
7. Safely and effectively manage patients on opioid analgesics for the treatment of chronic pain
8. Analyze potential benefits with the risks of serious adverse outcomes when initiating, titrating, and discontinuing use of opioids
9. Utilize safe opioid practices pursuant to evolving federal and state regulations and expert guidelines on treating pain and prescribing opioids
10. Identify patients who may warrant referral to specialist care 
11. Counsel patients and caregivers about the safe use of opioid analgesics, including proper storage and disposal
12. Outline evidence-based strategies for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) 

ACCREDITATION STATEMENTS

 
    
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Accreditation Statement
MedicusCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

ACCME Designation Statement
MedicusCME designates this Other activity (collaborative, small group social-learning model) for a maximum of 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ACCREDITATION  COUNCIL FOR PHARMACY EDUCATION
Universal Activity Number (UAN) for pharmacists: 0215-9999-22-011-H08-P
Pharmacist attendees will obtain 4.5 hours of CE credit.
Expires August 2025

FACULTY CONTENT TEAM

Sergey M. Motov, MD, FAAEM
@painfreeED

Dr. Motov is an Emergency Medicine Physician practicing in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Medical Academy of Latvia and completed his EM residency at Maimonides Medical Center. Dr. Motov is a Research Director in the Department of Emergency Medicine and is Professor of Emergency Medicine at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. Dr. Motov’s research interests include safe and effective pain management in the ED, opioid stewardship, and harm reduction strategies. He is a recipient of multiple state and NIH-funded grants supporting his pain management research. Dr. Motov has over 65 peer-reviewed publications on these subjects and he is actively involved in growing this body of work both nationally and globally. 

Frank North, PharmD, MPA
Assistant Professor, Law & Ethics
Texas A&M University Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy
College Station, Texas
Adjunct Professor, Houston Community College System, Federal and State Government
Houston, Texas
Clinical Pharmacist Entrepreneur
The Rowe Network

Kelly S. Ramsey, MD, MPH, MA, FACP, DFASAM 
(unpaid consultant)

Dr. Ramsey is Chief of Medical Services, New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and Past Medical Director of an academic center-based OTP in the South Bronx before working for nearly a decade for a large FQHC in the Hudson Valley. She created and grew a MAT program for OUD and AUD to 10 sites and 1500 patients. Until June 2020, she was Vice-Chair of the Substance Use Guidelines Committee for the HIV Clinical Practice Guidelines (a collaboration with Johns Hopkins University) and Co-Chair , Office of Drug User Health’s NYS Buprenorphine Advisory Group.
She was the recipient of the NYS Department of Health Commissioner’s Special Recognition Award for contributions to drug user health in New York State, December 2018. She serves on the National Board of Directors/Regional Director representing New York State at the American Society of Addiction Medication.
 
EXPERT INDEPENDENT REVIEWER
Tyler S. Oesterle, MD, MPH

Dr. Oesterle is Medical Director at Fountain Centers Chemical Dependency Treatment Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Health System and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Rochester, Minnesota.

PLANNERS 

Steven Haimowitz, MD
President, RealCME

Frank North, PharmD, MPA
Assistant Professor, Law & Ethics
Texas A&M University Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy

Carol Pashman, MS, RN
President, MedicusCME

MEDICAL WRITER
Margo Embree Fisher

CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES

MedicusCME requires instructors, planners, managers, and others in control of educational content to disclose all their financial relationships with ineligible companies over the previous 24 months. All financial relationships are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to MedicusCME policy.

The faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships with Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)-defined ineligible entities related to the educational content of this CE activity:

Dr. Sergey Motov acknowledges receipt of honoraria from Vitalis Analgesics for his role as consultant. 

All other faculty, authors and planners, as well as MedicusCME planners and managers have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose. 

All financial relationships are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to MedicusCME policy.

 
HOW TO CLAIM CREDIT
In order to receive AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)^TM and ACPE credit, participants must do the following:

• Read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures.
• Participate fully in all components of the activity, review course content and learning strategies, resources and support materials provided
• Complete the post-test and activity evaluation.
• You must score with an 75% or higher on the post-test to receive credit for this activity

COURSE FORMAT/MEDIUM
Internet Activity (Other: Collaborative small group, social learning model)
 
ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE ACTIVITY
4.5 hours

Because this continuing education activity is made available to learners in a small group learning model, the following suggestions indicating the estimated time that each component was designed to require have been provided to assist learners (who did not participate in the entire activity) in determining the appropriate partial credit to claim. These are offered only as a guide. Learners should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Baseline Self Assessment - 0.5 credit
Self Study Module #1 - 0.25 credit
Self Study Module #2 - 0.25 credit
Self Study Module #3 - 0.5 credit
Self Study Module #4 - 0.5 credit
Self Study Module #5 - 0.25 credit
Self Study Module #6 - 0.25 credit
Self Study Module #7 - 0.25 credit
Final Self Assessment - 0.25 credit
Live Group Discussion - 0.75 credit
Group Task – 0.75

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from the Opioid Analgesic REMS Program Companies. Please see 
https://opioidanalgesicrems.com/Resources/Docs/List_of_RPC_Companies.pdf for a listing of REMS Program Companies. This activity is intended to be fully compliant with the Opioid Analgesic REMS education requirements issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

MedicusCME represents that the Program shall conform to and comply with the AMA Ethical Opinions 8.061 (Gifts to Physicians from Industry) and 9.011 (Ethical Issues in CME) and the pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals.

DISCLOSURE OF UNLABELED USE
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. 
 
Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.