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.
| May 2009 E-Newsletter |
 FDA Seeking Public Comments on Opioid REMS |
| CME Accredited Version of Responsible Opioid Prescribing Now Available |
Session & Speaker Information for ASPI 20th Annual Meeting
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| State Pain Initiatives in Action: Georgia Pain Initiative |
| ASPI is Hiring a Conference and Outreach Coordinator |
FDA Seeking Public Comments on Opioid REMS
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently seeking input on the development of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for opioids. The FDA is accepting written or electronically submitted public comments on opioid REMS until June 30, 2009, and they are particularly interested in comments on the following issues:
- The type of certification that should be required of prescribers and dispensers of opioids, including how this certification should be administered
- The type of patient education on opioids that should be required, including whether or not to mandate the use of prescriber-patient agreements
- Other REMS elements besides health care provider certification and patient education that would support the safe use of opioids
- How restrictive a REMS system for opioids should be
- What types of controls, if any, should be placed on distributors that provide opioids to pharmacies and health care facilities
- Whether or not existing systems can be used to implement a REMS for opioids
- The obstacles that need to be addressed in order to develop a single, shared REMS system for drug innovators and generic manufacturers
- The metrics that should be used to assess the success of REMS
The development of REMS for opioids has wide implications for pain management, so be sure to make your voice heard before the June 30th deadline! Click here to read the FDA’s full notice about opioid REMS that was printed in the federal register. If you have additional questions about opioid REMS, please email the leaders of your State Pain Initiative.
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CME Accredited Version of Responsible Opioid Prescribing Now Available
A CME accredited version of Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Physician’s Guide is now available. The activity, which is jointly sponsored by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives (ASPI), and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), offers participants up to 7.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for reading the book and successfully completing an online post-test on the material. Responsible Opioid Prescribing offers physicians effective strategies for reducing the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and diversion. Written by pain medicine specialist Scott M. Fishman, M.D., chief of the Division of Pain Medicine at the University of California, Davis, the book translates FSMB’s consensus model policy on pain management into practical, office-based pain management guidelines.
Click here for more information on Responsible Opioid Prescribing, including accreditation information, where to purchase the book, and how to register for the online CME post-test.
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Session & Speaker Information for ASPI 20th Annual Meeting
Session and speaker information is now available for the 20th Annual Meeting of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives, “Bridging the Gaps in Pain Care.” This conference is a jointly sponsored continuing medical education activity being held October 23-25, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in San Francisco, California. We hope many of you will join us in California! For more information about the ASPI 20th Annual Meeting, please visit the ASPI website or email Ronna Popkin.
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State Pain Initiatives in Action: Georgia Pain Initiative
On May 18, 2009, the Georgia Pain Initiative (GPI), which is a project of the American Cancer Society and a member of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives, hosted a statewide forum titled “Connecting Pain Management Policy and Practice to Serve Our Communities.” The GPI Forum attracted more than 70 attendees from around the state, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, other health care providers, policymakers, patients, and representatives of advocacy groups. Presenters included national pain experts June Dahl, PhD; Scott Fishman, MD; Aaron Gilson, PhD; and Rebecca Kirch. The GPI Forum also featured a distinguished panel of Georgia pain management experts, including Dr. Kelly Erola, Dr. Steven House, and Sarah Leahy.
Attendees at the GPI Forum discussed feedback from recent surveys of patients and physicians in the state; policy and practice barriers to pain management; current and proposed projects of the Georgia Pain Initiative; and managing people’s pain at all stages of life. The Forum also resulted in the recruitment of many new members for the Georgia Pain Initiative. The GPI Forum was supported by a partnership grant from ASPI and the Lance Armstrong Foundation; additional support was provided by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, UHS Pruitt, and the Georgia Pain Initiative Steering Committee.
To download copies of the presentations from the GPI Forum and/or to find out more information about the Georgia Pain Initiative, please visit the Georgia Pain Initiative website or email Brittany Freeman.
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ASPI is Hiring a Conference and Outreach Coordinator
The ASPI is currently hiring a Conference and Outreach Coordinator. Click here to learn more about the position and for detailed instructions on how to apply. Please note that all applications must be received by Thursday June 11, 2009. If you have additional questions about the position or the application process, please contact Marty Skemp Brown via email or by phone at 608-265-9173.
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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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