Newswise — NEW YORK (June 11, 2014) – The Center for Continuing Medical Education (CCME) at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has received a $2 million grant from the Extended-Release/Long-Acting (ER/LA) Opioid Analgesics Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program Committee. The purpose of this grant is to develop a continuing medical education (CME) program to help educate clinicians who prescribe ER/LA opioids for patients with chronic pain about using them safely and effectively, and to ensure the benefits of these medications outweigh the risks for patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all manufacturers of ER/LA opioid analgesics to collaborate and provide education for prescribers of these medications. This grant will fund the development of CME programming that follows guidelines outlined by the FDA. An estimated 100 million Americans experience chronic pain, according to the Institute of Medicine, and ER/LA opioids are often utilized as part of the treatment plan. Unfortunately, the misuse and abuse of these drugs have resulted in a serious public health crisis of addiction, overdose and death.

“We see a need for training clinicians in appropriate prescribing of ER/LA opioids, awareness of their role in chronic pain treatment plans and recognition of negative outcomes associated with inappropriate prescribing,” said Victor Hatcher, Ph.D., research director, Montefiore Medical Center, and associate dean for CME and Research Administration and professor of Medicine and Biochemistry, Einstein. “Globally, opioid prescribers face the dual challenge of emerging epidemics of undertreated pain and prescription opioid abuse and misuse. Safe and effective pain management requires clinical skill and knowledge of treatments and effective assessment of risks associated with abuse and addiction.” CCME’s PainEDU REMS Education Program will be disseminated on a national level to prescribers through a virtual patient simulation and skill-building training for treating chronic pain in non-cancer patients with ER/LA opioids safely and effectively. The program can be found on the nationally-known pain education website, PainEDU.org or at Rems.PainEdu.org, which was developed and maintained by Inflexxion, a healthcare technology company that provides solutions for collecting clinical data, analyzing data and providing educational content and resources in the field of pain management.

In addition to the internet-based course, Montefiore will deliver an in-person pilot course, led by Naum Shaparin, M.D., director, Pain Service, in appropriate opioid dissemination for physicians and residents and will measure how this approach elevates treatment within the healthcare system.

“When we have completed the national education effort and Montefiore pilot study, we will evaluate their effectiveness, focusing on increased prescriber knowledge and how the program changed provider attitudes and behavior,” said Dr. Hatcher. “Ultimately, our goal is to improve methods of prescribing these pain medications and enhance overall patient outcomes.”

Founded in 1976, CCME at Montefiore and Einstein is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CCME has produced hundreds of CME activities and offers CME credit to thousands of practitioners.

About Montefiore Medical CenterAs the University Hospital and academic medical center for Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore is renowned for its clinical excellence, scientific discovery and commitment to its community. Recognized among the top hospitals nationally and regionally by U.S. News & World Report, Montefiore provides compassionate, patient- and family-centered care and educates the healthcare professionals of tomorrow. The Children's Hospital at Montefiore is consistently named in U.S. News' "America's Best Children's Hospitals." With four hospitals, 1,512 beds and more than 84,000 annual admissions, Montefiore is an integrated health system seamlessly linked by advanced technology. State-of-the-art primary and specialty care is provided through a network of more than 150 locations across the region, including the largest school health program in the nation and a home health program. Montefiore's partnership with Einstein advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. The medical center derives its inspiration for excellence from its patients and community, and continues to be on the frontlines of developing innovative approaches to care. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org and www.cham.org. Follow us on Twitter; like us on Facebook; view us on YouTube About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation’s premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2013-2014 academic year, Einstein is home to 734 M.D. students, 236 Ph.D. students, 106 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and 353 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2013, Einstein received more than $155 million in awards from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Its partnership with Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital and academic medical center for Einstein, advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. Through its extensive affiliation network involving Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center –Einstein’s founding hospital, and five other hospital systems in the Bronx, Manhattan, Long Island and Brooklyn, Einstein runs one of the largest residency and fellowship training programs in the medical and dental professions in the United States. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu, read our blog, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and view us on YouTube.# # #