[April 14, 2014] |
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PRIUM's Mark Pew Discusses Opioid Weaning at CSIA Annual Meeting
ANAHEIM, Calif. --(Business Wire)--
PRIUM's Senior Vice President Mark Pew (News - Alert) will share strategies for weaning
workers' compensation patients off opioids when he speaks at the annual
meeting of the California Self-Insurers Association (CSIA) on April 22.
"The Meaning of Opioid Weaning" will highlight the complexity of weaning
patients off opioids, especially when they are taking several drugs at
the same time. "Chronic pain patients tend to take muscle relaxants,
anti-anxiety meds, and other drugs because of the side effects that
often come with opioid use," Pew said. "Different drug classifications
have different tapering protocols, and decisions need to be made about
what medication should be reduced first and how it should be reduced."
Because many physicians who treat injured workers prefer to not manage
the weaning process, Pew's presentation will include objective criteria
for selecting pain management and functional restoration programs. He
will describe the role of drugs in chronic pain and the tapering process
that needs to take the entire regimen into account. Pew will also review
non-pharmacologic pain management strategies, such as physical therapy,
biofeedback, yoga and Pilates. In ddition, he will cover the impact of
psychosocial influences and comorbidities on pain and pain management.
"A patient's motivation and willingness to make life style changes plays
a major role in how they will manage pain with fewer or no drugs and
those are often overlooked," he said.
CSIA's
2014 Annual Meeting and Educational Conference annual meeting will
be held April 22 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California; for more
information, please see: http://caself-insurers.com/events-alt/.
About PRIUM
An Ameritox solutions provider, PRIUM sets the industry standard for
workers' compensation medical interventions through its ability to
secure higher agreement rates and to help ensure compliance with
modified treatment plans. The hallmark of the medical intervention
company's success is a collaborative physician engagement process
encompassing evidence-based medicine, clinical oversight, and
jurisdictional guidelines to facilitate optimal financial and clinical
outcomes. PRIUM helps eliminate unnecessary treatment through a
comprehensive approach that includes complex medical interventions,
utilization reviews, urine drug monitoring, and independent medical
exams. Based in Duluth, Ga., PRIUM can be reached at prium.com or
888.588.4964. For insight on workers' compensation medical issues, read
PRIUM's blog at www.priumevidencebased.com.

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