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Phone: (608) 265-4013
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aspi@mailplus.wisc.edu

ASPI Monthly E-Newsletter

The ASPI E-Newsletter is a monthly e-mail update on pain related issues, events, and activities of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives. To receive the ASPI E-Newsletter, please email Ronna Popkin at rapopkin@wisc.edu
Click here for past E-Newsletters.

August 2007 E-Newsletter

State Pain Initiatives Prepare for Pain Awareness Month

Medicaid Rx Requirement Looms : CMS Alerts States

Am. Pain Society Questions Washington State's Opioid Guideline

Study Looks At Addiction Rate in Persons Receiving Opioid Therapy

State Pain Initiatives Prepare for Pain Awareness Month

September is Pain Awareness Month and many State Pain Initiatives are busy preparing for activities to raise awareness of pain issues in their states and communities. Check out the ASPI's website for a list of events and programs planned in communities across the country.

Medicaid Rx Requirement Looms : CMS Alerts States

A new federal law goes into effect October 1 requiring all prescriptions for Medicaid beneficiaries to be written on tamper proof prescription forms.  Many practitioners, health care advocates and patients are concerned that the new requirement may cause an interruption in care, especially if prescribers are unaware of the new mandate, or there is difficulty obtaining the proper prescription forms prior to October 1. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently sent a letter to state Medicaid officials about the new law.  Read the letter at:  http://www.cms.hhs.gov/SMDL/downloads/SMD081707.pdf The ASPI encourages State Pain Initiatives and others to get the word out about the new Medicaid requirement to prescribers, dispensers and patients so that pain care is not disrupted.

Am. Pain Society Questions Washington State's Opioid Guideline

The American Pain Society recently sent a letter to the state agency medical directors group in Washington State that questions the data the group relied on to craft guidelines for the use of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain.  The guidelines have received much attention from the pain community because they recommend that the total daily dose of opioids should not exceed 120 milligrams of morphine or its equivalent, and if there is no improvement in both pain control and function, the guidelines recommend that a physician seek consultation before increasing the dose above 120 mg.  Read the APSI's letter at:http://enewsletters.org/APSBoardResponse.htm

Study Looks At Addiction Rate in Persons Receiving Opioid Therapy

A study published in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of Pain examined the frequency of substance abuse disorders in patients receiving opioid therapy from primary care physicians.  Although the study found that the rate of disorders was higher than the general population, the authors conclude that, (C)onsidering the potential benefit to improving the lives of patients with chronic pain, a 3.8% rate of opioid addiction is a small risk compared with the alternative of continuous pain and suffering.  The data presented in this paper support the use of opioids for the treatment of chronic pain by primary care physicians.

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    The Alliance of State Pain Initiatives and the University of Wisconsin-Madison do not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process described in the E-Newsletter, and the reference to any of these resources does not imply endorsement.

The National Office of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives is a program of the Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center at the
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Last Updated: September 10, 2009 | Questions of comments, e-mail aspi@mailplus.wisc.edu