Talem Health and ProHealth Physicians Partner to Deliver Opioid Training to Health Care Providers
HARTFORD, CT, April 17, 2019 – ProHealth Physicians, Postgraduate Institute for Medicine, and Talem Health are launching a series of accredited continuing medical education activities throughout 2019 that address opioid analgesic management.
As the nation continues to face a major public health crisis in the wake of an epidemic of opioid addiction, overdose and deaths, more opioid education is critical for all health care providers who treat patients suffering from acute and chronic pain.
The Opioid Analgesics Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategies (REMS) program is part of an initiative by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to educate and better prepare health care providers to more safely prescribe and monitor opioid analgesics. The goals of the program are to help clinicians more fully understand and weigh the risks and benefits of these medications in the outpatient setting, and more effectively communicate that balance to their patients.
Last year, Talem Health, in collaboration with ProHealth Physicians in Connecticut and Postgraduate Institute for Medicine, was awarded a grant to educate health care providers on the REMS for opioid analgesics set forth by the FDA. This continuing-education initiative includes a 3-part series of live meetings to cover the content outlined by the FDA Blueprint for opioid REMS, as well as ongoing online reinforcement on key elements of safe opioid prescribing and pain management. The first live meeting will be held at the Hartford Hilton Downtown in Hartford Thursday, April 25.
“As the country works to address the opioid epidemic and support safe opioid prescribing, there is a need to leverage partnerships and align educational efforts,” noted Eric VanStone, Principal of Talem Health. “Talem Health’s collaboration with ProHealth Physicians and Postgraduate Institute for Medicine will bring together all members of the health care team to address key barriers of pain management and guide clinicians towards improved prescribing practices.”
“The mission of ProHealth Physicians and OptumCare is to help people live healthier lives and to make the health system work better for everyone,” said Thomas Meehan, M.D., MPH, Vice President of Research and Medical Education, ProHealth Physicians of Connecticut. “This includes arming our clinicians with practical knowledge on safe opioid prescribing and evidence-based treatment for pain and substance use disorders.”
The Talem Summit Series: Safe and Appropriate Opioid Prescribing: A Systems-Based Approach is intended for all providers involved in the care and management of patients with pain, including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and other relevant health professionals. Educational content will focus on appropriate prescribing of opioids, potential signs of abuse and addiction, and effective pain management, and will be reinforced through various instructional methods.
About Talem Health
Talem Health, LLC is a provider of medical education. Our mission is to engage and empower healthcare providers through high-quality, meaningful education.
Launched in January 2017, Talem Health is operated by a team with extensive experience in content development, project management, and program implementation. Our editorial team has broad experience in developing and planning educational activities for various learners across a wide range of therapeutic areas, as well as measuring outcomes at the patient level. Talem works alongside various partners, including accredited academic institutions, hospital networks, accountable care organizations, and other healthcare organizations. We work to understand the needs in order to develop learning strategies that will yield sustainable improvement and scalable change.
About ProHealth Physicians
ProHealth Physicians, Inc. is a physician-led medical group with more than 90 practice locations throughout Connecticut that empowers physicians and advanced clinicians to better serve patients through enhanced care processes in support of improved patient outcomes. ProHealth is part of OptumCare, a leading national information and technology-enabled health services business.
Formed in 1997, ProHealth has grown to include more than 350 primary care and specialty providers and offers select specialty and diagnostic/therapeutic services such as ENT, pediatric and adult gastroenterology, plastic surgery, imaging, physical therapy, sleep medicine services, laboratory services, ADHD diagnosis and treatment, audiology, neurology, pulmonary medicine, and regional ExpressCare walk-in centers to meet patients’ needs for access and convenience. ProHealth cares for over 10% of Connecticut’s population and continues to expand throughout the state.
About Postgraduate Institute for Medicine
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) has been providing trusted independent continuing education for healthcare professionals since 1979 and is a recognized leader for jointly provided continuing education activities. PIM is nationally accredited to certify education and issue continuing education credit to an interprofessional or multidisciplinary audience of learners, including physicians, physician assistants, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists, dentists, optometrists, healthcare executives, addiction counselors, and clinical laboratory professionals.
The purpose of the PIM continuing healthcare education program is to deliver effective CME/CE activities that are designed to contribute to the professional development of physicians, as well as other healthcare professionals, support the development and function of collaborative interprofessional teams, and positively impact the delivery of healthcare.