With more than 200 million prescriptions for opioid medications being written every year, it’s hard to escape the notion that physicians are being targeted for creating the opioid epidemic the nation is facing; Physicians are carrying the brunt of the challenge. Some of the challenges they face include:
PMSP was developed by a pain specialist who wanted to address the challenges to his practice. It was designed to ensure that a patient’s medication regimen is followed and avoids problems patients may face using a controlled substance including patient medication pick-up habits. This includes looking for red flags in the federal database such as increased dispensing of controlled substances, multiple pharmacies, and doctor shopping.
PMSP is led by a team of PharmDs that conducts screenings for current opioid misuse, illicit drug use, and abuse. The PMSP team determines compliance with treatment regimens and UDS frequency, and assists the practice with scheduling UDS appointments to include:
Ensures documentation is maintained and current in the practice’s E.H.R.
Provides audit protection because the documentation meets State and Federal requirements.
Patient medication pick-up habits.
Looking for red flags in the federal database such as increased dispensing of controlled substances
Potential use of multiple pharmacies.
Physician abuse (doctor shopping).
Step One: Pre-Patient Contact Activities
PharmD reviews the previous month’s notes in the patient’s chart and obtains an overall sense of the patient’s status:
Step Two: Patient Outreach
1.PharmD establishes contact with patient and builds rapport and trust
2.Patient Arrival:
Step Three: Post-Patient Activities
Without PMSP |
• Complete and frequent medication reconciliation |
• Takes The Burden Off Practice Physician And Staff. |
• Ensures compliance with all state and federal regulations. |
• Gives physician peace of mind knowing that they are following all regulations and additional audit protection. |
• Ensures documentation is maintained and current in the practice’s E.H.R. |
• Provides an extension of the staff at a higher quality level. |
• Ensuresthat the patient medication regimens are followed. |
• Gives patients the ability to discuss their medications in greater detail. |
• Physicians have more information about their patients. |
Without PMSP |
• Limited medication reconciliation
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• Staff and physician must follow up with patients. |
• It is up to staff and physician to review and meet all state and federal regulations. |
• Practice must monitor itself to ensure documentation integrity.
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• Uses valuable staff and physician time. |
• Clinicians must follow up and monitor patient medication regimens. |
• Patients have no access to medication expert. |