ASPI E-Newsletter
The ASPI E-Newsletter is an e-mail update on pain related issues and events and the 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.
| July 2008 E-Newsletter |
 DEA Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Regulations to Allow Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances |
| Registration Now Open for ASPI 19th Annual Meeting |
Pain Resource Nurse (PRN) Program Coordinator Training
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| State Pain Initiatives in Action: Idaho Pain Initiative |
| State Pain Initiatives in Action: Washington Pain Forum |
| Congratulations to the 2008 ACS CAN State Pain Grant Awardees |
| New Online Course Available from the Pain and Policy Studies Group |
DEA Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Regulations to Allow Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances
On June 27, 2008, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued proposed regulations that would allow authorized prescribers to issue electronic prescriptions for controlled substances and pharmacies to receive and dispense those prescriptions. The DEA is seeking public comment on the proposed regulations, which can be submitted by mail or electronically on or before September 25, 2008. Click here to read the press release about the proposed regulations, and click here to read the full text of the Federal Register Notice and for more detailed instructions on submitting comments.
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Registration Now Open for ASPI 19th Annual Meeting
Registration is now open for Frontiers in Pain Management: The 19th Annual Meeting of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives, which is being held October 30 – November 1, 2008 at the Hilton Austin in Austin, Texas. This unique, interdisciplinary national forum brings together leaders involved in efforts to address the diverse challenges that impede effective pain control. The 2008 meeting focuses on cutting edge issues in the practice of pain care and highlights the actions essential to overcoming the organizational, societal, regulatory, attitudinal, and clinical barriers that contribute to the undertreatment of pain. Participants will be able to share resources and expertise, network with one another, and gain the knowledge and motivation to develop and implement programs to improve the care of persons with pain. Click here to learn more about the meeting and/or to register. We hope you will join us at the conference!
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Pain Resource Nurse (PRN) Program Coordinator Training
ASPI is pleased to announce a train-the-trainers program for Pain Resource Nurse (PRN) Program coordinators from November 13-15, 2008 in Chicago, IL. PRN programs are designed to prepare staff nurses to act as role models and resources for the day-to-day care of patients in pain. We invite nursing leaders who are committed to implementing a PRN program in their organizations to apply to participate in this unique training opportunity. Click here for full details and application information. Apply soon, as space is very limited!
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State Pain Initiatives in Action: Idaho Pain Initiative
In April 2008, the Idaho Pain Initiative (IDPI) took a major step in expanding and energizing its membership at its highly successful stakeholders’ meeting, “A New Surge Against Pain.” The more than 50 participants who came from across the state were an incredibly diverse group, representing state regulatory boards, health care quality improvement organizations, Medicaid providers, hospitals, home health agencies, hospice groups, pain clinics, state universities, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Attendees set goals for the Idaho Pain Initiative’s future work after learning more about effective collaboration in pain management practice, effectively treating pain within Idaho’s regulatory environment, and identifying barriers to pain management in Idaho. As a result of the meeting, which was supported by a partnership grant from ASPI and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, 21 individuals signed on as new IDPI members and 24 volunteers are working on committees in the areas of health care professional education, public advocacy, and regulatory issues. IDPI is also busy working on the development of their new website, www.idahopain.org, which is scheduled to launch in the upcoming months. To learn more about the Idaho Pain Initiative and its exciting new activities, please contact Dr. Curtis Gedney.
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State Pain Initiatives in Action: Washington Pain Forum
On June 6, 2008, the Washington Alaska Pain Initiative, Western Pain Society, and Washington Academy of Pain Management hosted the Washington Pain Forum, the first meeting of its kind in the state. A major goal of the Forum, which was supported by a partnership grant from ASPI and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, was to foster dialog between healthcare professionals and the state’s licensing and regulatory bodies in order to create a “balanced” regulatory system. Such a system fosters the appropriate medical use of opioid analgesics and other controlled substances that are essential for pain control while preventing their diversion and abuse for inappropriate, non-medical purposes. More than 50 healthcare professionals from a wide variety of disciplines attended the Forum, including academics, regulators, government officials, health care providers, and industry. The working groups developed at the Forum used a consensus-building model to identify recommendations for improving pain care in Washington in five key areas of concern: clinical practice guidelines; healthcare professional education; laws and regulations; consumer protection; and prescription monitoring. Future plans include building a state-wide coalition, which will be comprised of those organizations and individuals represented at the Forum and meet in September 2008. To find out more about the Washington Pain Forum, the Washington-Alaska Pain Initiative, and current activities to improve pain management in Washington State, please contact Dionetta Hudzinski or Helen Ross Petty.
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Congratulations to the 2008 ACS CAN State Pain Grant Awardees
With the generous support of a healthcare grant from Purdue Pharma, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) has issued competitive grant awards of $12,000 each to five State Pain Initiatives. ASPI wishes to congratulate these Initiatives for receiving these awards, which will assist them with the following activities:
- The Northern California Pain Initiative will re-energize efforts to improve pain policies and practices by convening two stakeholder meetings and to begin planning for a statewide Pain Summit to be held in 2009 or 2010.
- The West Virginia Pain Initiative will revitalize WVPI membership by providing free “Pain Management 101” trainings in four regions across the state and hosting a WVPI membership meeting to develop its 2009 strategic action plan.
- The South Carolina Pain Initiative will host one-day forums in each of the main regions of the state. Information from these regional forums will be used in planning a statewide Forum on State Pain Policy in 2009.
- The Connecticut Pain Initiative will provide information to Connecticut’s healthcare professionals about the new state electronic prescription monitoring program in order to promote understanding about its use and expand membership.
- The Montana Pain Initiative will plan a follow up conference to its successful April 2007 conference and strategically partner with the Montana Board of Medical Examiners to disseminate the Federation of State Medical Boards’ book, “Responsible Opioid Prescribing,” by Dr. Scott Fishman, MD.
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New Online Course Available from the Pain and Policy Studies Group
The Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG) recently launched a new on-line course, “Increasing Patient Access to Pain Medicines around the World: Improving National Policies that Govern Drug Distribution.” This self-paced, no cost course is about the relationship between government policies that affect the medical availability of opioid analgesics and patients who experience moderate to severe pain. It is intended for an international audience of health care professionals, local and national policy makers, palliative care advocates, government drug regulatory personnel, national health policy advisors, and health policy scholars with an interest in pain management or palliative care. Click here to learn more about and/or access the course.
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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.
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