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Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Conference Features Poster Presentations on Tapering Patients off Opioids and BenzodiazepinesTAMPA, Fla. --(Business Wire)-- The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) has accepted two abstracts on tapering patients off opioids and benzodiazepines for poster presentations at its Annual Meeting and Expo, April 1-4. PRIUM, a medical intervention company focused on reducing unnecessary and dangerous medications in workers' compensation, sponsored the research. "We commissioned this systematic review of current literature regarding tapering guidelines while developing resources for individualized tapering plans for injured workers," said PRIUM Senior Vice President Mark Pew (News - Alert). Annesha White Lovett, PharmD, MS, PhD, an assistant professor at Mercer University, and Kimberly Vernachio, PharmD, RPh, presient of Vernachio Managed Care Consulting, will present the posters at AMCP. They, along with John Suttner, PharmD Candidate at Mercer University, conducted the research and wrote two papers, "A Review of Tapering Strategies to Improve Appropriate Use of Opioids in Patients Undergoing Pain Management Therapy," and "Developing an Algorithm for Tapering Benzodiazepines in Patients Using Pain Management Therapy." Also, AMCP awarded the opioid poster a Silver Medal for its relevance, originality, quality, bias, and clarity. "There is very little consensus on tapering strategies for both benzodiazepines and opioids," said Dr. Vernachio. "The literature for each class of drug indicates that taper rates vary widely and that tapering must be individualized to consider the psychological and social support for each patient." The AMCP Annual Meeting and Expo will be held at the Tampa Convention Center April 1-4. For more information, please see www.amcp.org. 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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