PAIN MANAGEMENT CENTERS
DRUG TESTING FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT CENTERS
Pain management centers are clinical environments where people get treatments for acute and/or chronic pain, which results from injuries, inflammatory conditions, cancer, surgery, or several other causes. The clinics are designed to make the lives of patients easier and—as their classification suggests—a lot less painful (if not completely pain-free).
To attain goals, pain management centers turn to a number of solutions: aromatherapy, acupuncture, aquatic therapy, chiropractic treatment, electrical stimulation, heat application, physical therapy, among others. These also administer analgesics and anesthetic agents—antidepressants even—and over-the-counter medications, such as non-aspirin pain relievers and non-sterodial anti-inflammatory drugs (or NSAIDs).
In more severe cases, physicians prescribe corticosteroids and opioids.
If left unmonitored, the medications that are intended to improve a patient’s health could turn into deadly poison instead.
For this reason, pain management centers must regularly test their patients for prescription-drug misuse and abuse. Otherwise, these clinics will likely be seen as “pill mills” and unlawful “sponsors of drug diversion.”
Statistics on the Use, Misuse, and Abuse of Prescription Drugs in the US
- According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in 2017, about 18 million people have misused prescription medications at least once during the period.
- Also according to NIDA, in 2017, about 6% of the people who have misused prescription medications at least once during the period were below 12 years old.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every day, an estimated 5,480 Americans use prescription pain relievers non-medically or recreationally for the first time.
- Also according to CDC, between 1999 and 2016, most of the 630,000-plus cases of drug-overdose deaths involved opioids prescribed for pain.
Testing Times for Patients of Pain Clinics
Pain management centers play a big role in preventing and controlling drug diversion, or the non-medical administration of prescription medications.
The following are the best times to perform the drug tests:
- Evaluation. Patients are thoroughly examined and evaluated on their first visit, and the procedures should include drug testing. It has been noted in the pain-management community that there are individuals faking symptoms and documentation to get their fill of prescription opioids for recreational purposes.
- Throughout the Course of Treatment. The periodic assessment of the patients’ health conditions is necessary, to see if there are improvements or if there is a need to revise the prescriptions. Physicians should order regular drug tests to make sure that they are giving the correct medication and dosage at every stage of the treatment.
The regularity of tests is consistent with prescription drug-monitoring programs (PDMPs) being implemented at state level. A PDMP involves an electronic database that tracks the prescriptions of controlled substances, and it has a network that consists of the state’s health, insurance, and law enforcement departments; healthcare licensure boards; healthcare providers; and pharmacies.
Additionally, drug testing in pain-management settings is attuned to the ideals of the Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2018.
Like PDMPs, the Opioid Analgesic REMS involves stakeholders statewide. Its overarching goal is to prevent and control (if not totally eliminate) the abuse and misuse of prescription opioid analgesics that can lead to overdose deaths.
Types of Tests That Are Appropriate for Pain Clinics
Accuracy and efficiency are key in every successful drug screen, and these are what pain-management administrators seek in screening kits. And because time is of the essence, the staff assigned to perform the tests want the process to be swift and very simple.
The three (3) types of drug tests are:
- Hair Follicle Drug Test. This can tell whether or not the subject has taken drugs within 90 days of the test.
- Urine Alcohol Test. The most popular drug-testing tool in pain management settings, it can detect the presence of a number of drug metabolites with a single sample. It can prove that the subject has taken illicit drugs within a few days of the test.
- Saliva Drug Test. This is not as invasive as the Urine Drug Test, and it does not require a private room for sample collection. It can tell if the subject has used alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, or amphetamine within three days of the test. It can also detect heroin, but only within a few hours of the latest usage.
What American Screening Provides Pain Clinics
American Screening understands that pain management centers may not always carry a large budget for drug tests. This is why we deliver highly affordable, cost-effective, superior-quality screening kits direct from the manufacturer.
We understand as well that personnel performing the screens do not usually have the luxury of time to learn the complexities of drug testing, which is why we provide safe, convenient, easy-to-use products that give timely and accurate results.
To keep up with the times, we also offer screening kits for synthetic drugs like K2 (also known as “spice”) and fentanyl.
We have alcohol and nicotine/tobacco tests as well.
All our drug testing products conform to SAMHSA standards.
For more information on how American Screening LLC can collaborate on making your organization and community alcohol and drug-free zones, please call our toll-free number: (866) 526-2873 or write us via [email protected]
We are here to serve the public nationwide and internationally!
