We pledge to...
- Educate ourselves and our team, to refer patients to appropriate resources or implement into our practice, how to:
- Adhere to evidence-based treatment guidelines (state and/or national).
- Treat patient-specific pain safely and effectively.
- Identify and treat/refer persons with substance abuse/opioid misuse issues. This should include creating opportunities to further the practice of substance use screenings and referrals.
- Align with local pharmacies and community-based organizations that offer naloxone dispensing and education and/or provide Medication-Assisted Treatment*.
- Coordinate with Medication Therapy Management (MTM)** services to assist with appropriate prescribing, patient education, risk stratification, and medication monitoring.
- Ensure persons with opioid use disorder are treated in a respectful and person-centered manner. Improvements may include:
- Generating opportunities for patient protections providing better information about the risks and benefits of taking prescription opioids.
- Referring to, creating, or expanding counseling and support service connections for persons and their families who have overdosed on opioids and been revived by naloxone.
- Identifying connections to pharmacist and behavioral health resources to maximize person and family engagement with community support services.
- Developing accountability contracts in collaboration with individuals, which includes that they only use one pharmacy and one opioid prescriber for needed pain medications.
- Leverage and align with existing programs and initiatives, as appropriate, to combat opioid misuse such as:
- Relevant national and state laws, regulations, and initiatives related to opioids
- States' Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
- Identify and report on successes and best practices and spread within CMS networks.
* Medication assisted treatment (MAT) is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies for the treatment of substance use disorders.
** Medication therapy management service(s) (MTMS) describe face-to-face patient assessment and intervention as appropriate, by a pharmacist, upon request. MTMS is provided to optimize the response to medications or to manage treatment-related medication interactions or complications.