Living Systematic Review on Cannabis and Other Plant-Based Treatments for Chronic Pain

Same Old Hurdles: Pharmacy-Mandated Obstacles to Filling Opioid Scrips

   

Opioid Treatment Programs: New for 2021

The calendar year 2021 Physician Fee Schedule final rule includes information for Medicare-enrolled Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs):

• New covered services include FDA-approved opioid antagonist medications, specifically naloxone, for emergency treatment of opioid overdose, as well as overdose education provided in conjunction with opioid antagonist medication
• New codes for nasal and injectable naloxone
• Medicare Part B coverage of hospital outpatient or free-standing institutional OTP services; these providers will submit claims using the institutional claim form (837i electronically or CMS-1450 paper claim)

We updated the OTP webpages and the Enrollment (PDF) and Billing & Payment (PDF) fact sheets with this and other new information. 

Texas Launches Opioid Misuse Prevention Website to Fight Addiction, Overdoses

AUSTIN – Texas Health and Human Services is launching a new website featuring videos, the latest information and helpful resources to promote Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR), which is a statewide public health effort to fight against opioid addiction and overdose.

The new website, TXopioidresponse.org, is available in English and Spanish and provides tips for safe opioid use, as well as information about the dangers of misusing prescription opioid medications.

“One in five Texans has experienced an opioid overdose or know someone who has,” said Kasey Strey, TTOR Director at Texas Health and Human Services Commission. “We are dedicated to preventing prescription opioid misuse, overdoses and opioid use disorder. With awareness of the risks and how to take medications safely, Texans can prevent opioid misuse and help put an end to the opioid crisis.”

CDC & HHS Request for Comment Management of Acute and Chronic Pain

It is vitally important for the members of the Texas Pain Society to submit comments to CDC & HHS by June 16, 2020.

You can use the TPS template letter here

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the opening of a docket to obtain comment concerning perspectives on and experiences with pain and pain management, including but not limited to the benefits and harms of opioid use, from patients with acute or chronic pain, patients' family members and/or caregivers, and health care providers who care for patients with pain or conditions that can complicate pain management (e.g., opioid use disorder or overdose)—hereafter called “stakeholders.” CDC will use these comments to inform its understanding of stakeholders' values and preferences related to pain and pain management options.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/04/17/2020-08127/management-of-acute-and-chronic-pain-request-for-comment?deliveryName=Share%20Your%20Perspective%3A%20Management%20of%20Acute%20and%20Chronic%20Pain%20%28US&cid=em1003562&utm_source=sfmc_email&utm_medium=email-1st_party&utm_campaign=nmd-general-us-pain_medicine-general&utm_content=n-n-n-n&sid=0032K00002O0WULQA3&id_mc=552681762

DWC Operations Update in Response to COVID-19

Commissioner Brown sends an update to system participants about changes in DWC’s operations in response to COVID-19. Read more at https://bit.ly/2QIbQQm.

The move to telehealth will make it easier for providers to prescribe an opioid or other controlled substance during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

March 18, 2020 - Telemedicine has found yet another key purpose during the coronavirus public health emergency: the prescribing of controlled substances, such as opioids.

Per new clarification from the US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), healthcare professionals can now prescribe a controlled substance to a patient using telehealth technology.

This announcement comes in the wake of the public health emergency declared by HHS Secretary Alex Azar on January 31, 2020.

Agency Action Plan to Address Substance Use

Substance use is a complex problem with devastating and lasting effects across the lifespan. It strains our families, it ravages our communities, and threatens the well-being of our entire state. While opioids are still cause for concern, recent trends on the use of methamphetamines, marijuana, other illicit drugs, and alcohol cannot be ignored.

As the state agency entrusted with improving the health, safety, and well-being of Texas, DSHS is committed to addressing substance use.

READ MORE

Addiction Medicine Fellowship (AMF) Program

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (HRSA-20-013)
Fiscal Year 2020 Application Due Date: February 25, 2020

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for the fiscal year 2020 Addiction Medicine Fellowship (AMF) Program. The application cycle closes on February 25, 2020.

Please note that modifications have been made to the original Notice of Funding Opportunity. Download the latest version before applying.

The Trump administration has launched a smart new salvo in the public health offensive against the opioid epidemic.

Addiction to these prescription painkillers and related street drugs continues to wreak havoc in communities across the nation. Last week, the White House announced the launch of a new website that will make it easier to find specialized medical care close to home.

This confidential, easy-to-use resource has a name succinctly summing up its mission — FindTreatment.gov. It also allows individuals to customize their search results beyond location, a feature that existing “find a substance abuse provider” websites often don’t offer.

READ MORE

Research Group Releases Pharmacy Formulary Report

The Research and Evaluation Group has released a report on Texas pharmacy closed formulary outcomes. This study looks at injured employee outcomes such as return-to-work rates and health outcomes since the formulary was implemented.

Need just the key findings? Check the TDI website for our new snapshot tool on the pharmacy formulary report.

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a new Guide for Clinicians on the Appropriate Dosage Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Analgesics - PDF. Individual patients, as well as the health of the public, benefit when opioids are prescribed only when the benefit of using opioids outweighs the risks.  But once a patient is on opioids for a prolonged duration, any abrupt change in the patient’s regimen may put the patient at risk of harm and should include a thorough, deliberative case review and discussion with the patient. The HHS Guide provides advice to clinicians who are contemplating or initiating a change in opioid dosage.

Attorney General Ken Paxton Issues Statement on Chapter 11

Bankruptcy Filing of Purdue Pharma

September 6, 2019 marked another successful year of partnership between Texas Pain Society & Texas Society of Anesthesiologist!

Each year TPS presents a 3 hour parallel session regarding pain medicine during the TSA Annual Conference.

This year we had Drs. Max Eckmann, C.M. Schade and Dhanalakshmi Koyyalagunta, MD representing TPS and an interactive crowd that was very engaged in the current standards and best practices for treating chronic pain patients. 

Key findings

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Canadian Health Measures Survey

• Nearly 7 in 10 adults aged 40–79 used at least 1 prescription drug in the past 30 days in the United States (69.0%) and Canada (65.5%), and around 1 in 5 used at least 5 prescription drugs (22.4% in the United States and 18.8% in Canada).
• Among adults aged 40–59, the most commonly used drug types in the United States were antidepressants, lipid-lowering drugs, and ACE inhibitors; in Canada, they were analgesics, antidepressants, and lipid-lowering drugs.
• Among adults aged 60–79, the most commonly used drug types in the United States were lipid-lowering drugs, antidiabetic agents, and beta blockers; in Canada, they were lipid-lowering drugs, analgesics, and proton pump inhibitors.

Patterns of prescription drug use may reflect underlying patterns of health conditions and health care access in the population. Polypharmacy, often defined as the simultaneous use of five or more prescription drugs, is more common in an aging population where multiple coexisting chronic conditions often occur; however, safety concerns may arise (1). The United States and Canada share many cultural and historical ties, but with different models for health care delivery (2). This report describes the use of one or more and five or more prescription drugs among adults aged 40–79 in the United States and Canada.

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