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    Maryland Department of Health
    Maryland Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

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    OCSA Continuing Education Requirement

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    Continuing Education Requirement

    The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) has been established by the Maryland Department of Health, Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to support health care providers and their patients in the safe and effective use of prescription drugs. In addition to the PDMP, other resources exist to support the safe and effective use of controlled substances to manage pain.
     
    Effective October 1, 2018, all providers who are applying for a new or renewal registration to dispense or prescribe controlled dangerous substances (CDS) from OCSA must attest to the completion of 2 hours of continuing education (CE) in prescribing or dispensing of controlled substances: OCSA CE Requirement​. The CE course must be either recognized by the authorized provider’s professional board, or accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. This mandate is met after attesting to the completion of the required CE.

    To support CDS prescribers in completing this requirement, and in supporting health care providers and their patients in the safe and effective use of prescription drugs, please find below online CE opportunities:

    ​Scope of Pain

    Scope of Pain is a series of continuing medical education activities designed to help you safely and effectively manage patients with chronic pain, when appropriate, with opioid analgesics. The online educational program will help participants safely and competently use opioids, if appropriate, to manage your patients with chronic pain. In this training, participants will learn how to: 
    • Decide on appropriateness of opioid analgesics
    • Assess for opioid misuse risk
    • Counsel patients about opioid safety, risks, and benefits
    • Competently monitor patients prescribed opioids for benefit and harm
    • Make decisions on continuing or discontinuing opioid analgesics
    • Safely discontinue opioids when there is too little benefit or too much risk and harm

    Boston University School of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. In order to receive credit, participants must view the content of each module and complete the post-test and evaluation for both modules. Participants who receive a grade of 70% or greater on both post-tests will receive credit. BOTH modules must be completed in order to earn your online certificate of credit.

    To take the Scope of Pain training, go to: htt​​ps://www.scopeofpain.org/​

    CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids Interactive Training Series

    The 2022 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain address the following four areas: 1) determining whether or not to initiate opioids for pain, 2) selecting opioids and determining opioid dosages, 3) deciding duration of initial opioid prescription and conducting follow-up, and 4) assessing risk and addressing potential harms of opioid use. The CDC recommends that persons with pain receive appropriate pain treatment, with careful consideration of the benefits and risks of all treatment options in the context of the patient’s circumstances. Recommendations should not be applied as inflexible standards of care across patient populations. This clinical practice guideline is intended to improve communication between clinicians and patients about the benefits and risks of pain treatments, including opioid therapy; improve the effectiveness and safety of pain treatment; mitigate pain; improve function and quality of life for patients with pain; and reduce risks associated with opioid pain therapy, including opioid use disorder, overdose, and death.​​

    The CDC is currently in the process of developing trainings to expand our clinician education materials for the recently released 2022 CDC Clinical Practice Guidelines.  
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    Visit the Interactive Training for Healthcare Providers located on the CDC website for updates.

    NIDA Continuing Education Opportunities

    NIDAMED’s mission is to disseminate science-based resources to health professionals on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction, and advances in pain management. NIDAMED has created a list of continuing education opportunities covering the following topics: opioids, opioid overdose, opioid prescribing and pain, adolescent-focused, and general. Many of the opportunities listed are free. 

    To review the continuing education opportunities organized by NIDAMED, go to: https://www.drugabuse.gov/nidamed-medical-health-professionals/cmece-activities#prescribing​​


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