​​Applying Patient-Centered Pain Care to Practice: A Case of Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder​

This activity is part of a series

Faculty

Melissa Weimer, DO, MCR, FASAM
Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health, Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health
Medical Director, Addiction Medicine Consult Service, Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT
Melissa Weimer, DO, MCR, FASAM

Dr. Melissa B. Weimer, DO, MCR, FASAM, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health. She is a clinician-educator who is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She is the Director of the Yale Addiction Medicine Consult Service at Yale New Haven Hospital and Associate Program Director for the Yale Addiction Medicine Fellowship program. Dr. Weimer has a clinical and research focus on improving the care of patients with addiction and its associated comorbidities, particularly in the hospital setting, and has specialty expertise in the treatment of complex pain. She is also passionate about expanding the workforce of healthcare professionals who can treat individuals with substance use disorders.

Sudheer Potru, DO, FASAM
Director, Complex Pain Clinic, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA
Sudheer Potru, DO, FASAM

Dr. Sudheer Potru is a triple-board-certified anesthesiologist, interventional pain physician, and addiction medicine specialist with a strong interest in both opioid safety and addiction.  A Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, he is also the medical director of the Atlanta VA’s complex pain clinic, which specializes in treating veterans who have chronic pain associated with high-dose opioid use or substance abuse problems.  He founded The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine?s (ASRA) Pain and Substance Use Disorder Special Interest Group (SIG) in 2019, sits on multiple national committees related to pain and substance use disorders, and is passionate about teaching other clinicians about diagnosis and treatment of substance use disorders as well as research and advocacy related to these topics.

Statement of Need

Patients taking prescription opioids to manage pain are at a heightened risk of developing opioid use disorder (OUD). This innate risk needs to be vigilantly monitored by health care providers (HCPs) and strategies must be in place to engage patients in treatment when OUD is confirmed. HCPs should be aware of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ (DSM-5) criteria for the diagnosis of OUD as well as the risk factors and available risk assessments for OUD. Long-term exposure to opioid therapy causes psychological and neurological changes and practical guidance for safe and thoughtful tapering must be executed slowly to ensure patients’ safety. Additionally, clinicians must be up to date on naloxone prescribing regulations as well as community resources for the psychosocial treatment of OUD.

In this fourth and final installment of a REMS BriefCase series on pain management faculty will discuss the importance of recognizing the signs of OUD and how to intervene if red flags do appear. It is vital that clinicians prescribing opioids monitor their patients closely for OUD and are equipped with the tools needed to safely treat the disorder.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this CME/CE activity, participants should be able to utilize the DSM-5 criteria to identify and diagnose opioid use disorder (OUD) in patients prescribed opioids for acute and chronic pain. Develop strategies for engaging patients in treatment for OUD.

Financial Support

This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from the Opioid Analgesic REMS Program Companies.

Please click here 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).

Target Audience

Physicians, surgeons, dentists, physician associates (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), nurse practitioners, and pharmacists

Credit Information

Jointly Accredited Provider

In support of improving patient care, CME Outfitters, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Interprofessional (IPCE) 0.5

This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 0.5 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) Credit for learning and change.

Physicians (ACCME) 0.5

CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses (ANCC) 0.5

This activity is designated for 0.5 contact hours.

Note for California Nurses

This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. CME Outfitters, LLC’s provider number is CEP15510.

Pharmacists (ACPE) 0.5

This application-based activity is approved for 0.5 contact hours (0.05 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy credit.
Activity UAN: JA0007185-0000-22-116-H01-P

Physician Assistants (AAPA): 0.5

CME Outfitters, LLC, has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 0.5 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until expiration date listed above. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Physicians (AAFP): 0.5

The AAFP has reviewed the activity and deemed it acceptable for up to 0.50 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credits. Term of Approval expires with the expiration date of the credit availability. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1.

ADA CERP: 0.5

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ABIM MOC 0.5

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 0.5 medical knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

MIPS Improvement Activity

Completion of this accredited CME activity meets the expectations of an Accredited Safety or Quality Improvement Program (IA_PSPA_28) for the Merit-based Incentive Payment Program (MIPS). Clinicians should submit their improvement activities by attestation via the CMS Quality Payment Program website.

Royal College MOC

Through an agreement between the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, medical practitioners participating in the Royal College MOC Program may record completion of accredited activities registered under the ACCME’s “CME in Support of MOC” program in Section 3 of the Royal College’s MOC Program.

Disclosure Declaration

It is the policy of CME Outfitters, LLC, to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of their CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, or with the commercial supporter of this CE activity. CME Outfitters, LLC, has evaluated, identified, and mitigated any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process.


Dr. Weimer reports the following financial relationships: Consultant: CVS Health and Path CCM, Inc.


Dr. Potru reports no financial relationships to disclose.


The following peer reviewer and CME Outfitters staff have no financial relationships:

  • Michael Franks, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC (peer reviewer)
  • Thomas W. Heinrich, MD (planning committee)
  • Evan Luberger (planning committee)
  • Kellie Busby, PharmD (planning committee)
  • Kasey Brandt, PharmD (planning committee)
  • Susan H. Yarbrough, CHCP (planning committee)
  • Sandra Caballero, PharmD (planning committee)
  • Sharon Tordoff (planning committee)

Faculty of this CE activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. The faculty have been informed of their responsibility to disclose to the audience if they will be discussing off-label or investigational uses (any uses not approved by the FDA) of products or devices.

Obtaining Credits

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​​Applying Patient-Centered Pain Care to Practice: A Case of Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder​
Event Date: 12/23/2022 at 5:00 am EST