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2022 APhA Pain Institute

All Things Opioids: Pain Management, Social Determinants of Health, and More!

Thursday, March 17, 2022
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM CT

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(Schedule is subject to change. Pre-registration is required.)

9:00-10:00  AM - How to taper opioids safely and effectively
Working with patients to taper down from or off opioids canbe a challenge for both patients and providers.  Regimens must be individualized and often do not fit neatly into an algorithm.  This session will discuss best practices to tapering opioids as well as different tools pharmacists can use to help support patients during the tapering process.  It will also give examples of ways pharmacists can work with other providers to offer a team-based support system to their patients.

Thomas Franko, PharmD
Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Nesbitt School of Pharmacy, Wilkes University

10:00-10:15 AM - Break

10:15-11:15 AM - Health disparities in pain, pain management, OUD/SUD
Health disparities are often discussed in the patients with diabetes or cardiovascular disease but can easily be overlooked in pain, pain management, or substance use disorder.  When it comes to pain management, racial and ethnic minorities are often given different treatment options for pain.  How can we work to acknowledge our implicit biases to give the best patient care possible?  This session aims to identify  some of the social determinants of health that may impact patients dealing with pain and pain management, as well as provide approaches for pharmacists to help address these factors to ensure optimal pain outcomes for all patients.

Laura C. Palombi, Pharm.D., MPH, MAT
Associate Professor
University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy - Duluth

11:15AM-12:15PM - Hospice/Palliative care in recovering patients
Have you ever wondered if it appropriate to utilize opioids in patients who are in recovery once they have entered hospice or palliative care?  How to do you monitor their therapy and keep them safe?  How do you address concerns that patients or their loved ones might have?  This session will take an in-depth look at these questions and explore the controversies associate with opioid use in the recovering palliative care and hospice patient population.

Maria Foy, PharmD, BCPS, CPE
Pharmacy Care Coordinator, Palliative Care
Abington Jefferson Health

12:15-1:00 PM - LUNCH

1:00-2:00 PM - Harm Reduction Programs: Boon or Bane
To give syringes or not to give syringes, that is the question.  According to the CDC: Nearly thirty years of research shows that comprehensive SSPs are safe, effective, and cost-saving, do not increase illegal drug use or crime, and play an important role in reducing the transmission of viral hepatitis, HIV and other infections. However, syringe service programs are still a highly debated and controversial topic.  Attend this session to learn more about this hot topic.

Anita Jacobson, PharmD
Clinical Professor
University of Rhode Island

Claire Zagorski, MSc, LP
Program Coordinator, PhARM
The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy

2:00-3:00 PM - How to have conversations with patients who are starting to exhibit early signs of SUD/OUD
What do you do when a patient starts to exhibit signs of substance use disorder?  How do you initiate a potentially difficult conversation with them?  Attend this session and learn tools and techniques that other pharmacists are using to keep these essential  conversations from turning into conflicts.

Jake Nichols, PharmD, MBA
Co-founder, President, & CEO
Renovo Health

3:00-3:15 PM - Break

3:15-4:15 PM - Partial opioid agonists and pain management
Managing acute pain needs in patients who are currently taking partial opioid agonists can be a challenge. Attend this session to learn about best practices from the experts. From dosing considerations to ensuring adequate support for continued recovery, this session will provide you with answers to questions that you may not have known you had.

Mark Garofoli, PharmD, MBA, BCGP, CPE, CTTS
Director of Experiential Learning, Clinical Assistant Professor, & Clinical Pain Management Pharmacist
WVU School of Pharmacy & WVU Medicine

4:15-5:00 PM – Key Takeaways, Q&A, Closing Remarks