Pri-Med, American College of Physicians Receive Grant to Implement Multi-Channel REMS-Compliant Opioid Trainings

Program will offer clinician courses in patient assessment strategies to educate on safety and efficacy when prescribing ER/LA opioids

March 5, 2013 - Pri-Med and the American College of Physicians (ACP) today announced that they have been awarded an independent educational grant by the REMS Program Companies (RPC), a group of manufacturers of extended-release and long-acting (ER/LA) opioids, to develop and implement a training program that educates clinicians about safety and efficacy when prescribing opioids. The grant will incorporate elements of the recently approved U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) Blueprint for Prescriber Education for Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics guideline program, a component of the risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) for ER/LA Opioid medications.

The Blueprint guidelines mark the first time that an FDA-required REMS program has included a continuing medical education (CME) component supported by independent education grants from industry. Through the grant, Pri-Med and ACP, its recently announced curriculum partner, will deliver critical trainings for primary care clinicians that prescribe ER/LA opioids in an effort to safely and effectively manage patients with chronic pain. The initiative will be launched on June 15, 2013 through a certified, online curriculum available through Pri-Med.com and Acponline.org.

Almost one million people 12 years and older reported non-medical use of opioids for 200 days or more in 2009-2010 and more than four million people reported such use for 30 days or more1. Additionally, in 2009 there were almost 425,000 emergency department visits involving non-medical use of opioids and 15,597 deaths2.

"It is an honor to be one of the first accredited CME providers taking part in this inaugural education initiative," said Marissa Seligman, PharmD chief compliance, clinical and regulatory affairs officer and senior vice president, pmiCME, the accredited education division of DBC Pri-Med. "This grant enables Pri-Med and ACP to offer a multi-channel series of live courses and a digital forum to educate clinicians about proper and safe use of opioids, equipping them with the fundamental tools and resources to provide the best care and outcomes for their patients."

"The comprehensive curriculum, backed by the governing body of the FDA, will help advance proper and safe prescribing practices seen in this space," said Patrick C. Alguire, MD, FACP, ACP's senior vice president for Medical Education. "Our commitment to providing quality clinician education alongside our partner, Pri-Med, is our number one goal. We are proud to launch this program and help reduce the knowledge gap within the clinician community."

Pri-Med and ACP will seek to properly train the country's 122,000-plus ER/LA opioid prescribers, including current registered Pri-Med members, through patient education strategies and by implementing patient assessment best practices. The offering will include online self-assessment tools to measure the educational process and help increase safe prescribing of ER/LA opioids, as well as improve processes to more effectively monitor patient evaluation treatments.

About Pri-Med
Pri-Med is an operating division of Diversified Business Communications. Based in Boston, Mass., the organization has been a trusted source for professional medical education to over 260,000 clinicians since 1995. Through live meetings in over 30 U.S. cities and online at www.pri-med.com, actively practicing clinicians rely on Pri-Med for opportunities to engage with local peers, meet internationally renowned faculty and participate in world-class educational activities. For more information, visit: www.pri-med.com.

About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization and the second-largest physician group in the United States. ACP members include 133,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter and Facebook.

About Diversified Business Communications
Diversified Business Communications, based in Portland, Maine, provides information and market access through face-to-face events, magazine publishing, and eMedia on four continents. In addition to health care, Diversified serves a number of industries including: technology, retail, food and hospitality and business management solutions. Diversified operates divisions in Australia, Hong Kong, India, the UK and Canada.


1Jones CM. Frequency of prescription pain reliever nonmedical use: 2002-2003 and 2009-2010. Arch Intern Med. 2012 Jun 25:1-2

2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics System. Hyattsville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2012. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/Vitalstatsonline.htm. Accessed August 2012