Drug Diversion and Abuse: CME Collaboration Unites Health Professionals, Law Enforcement
John Burke, commander of the Warren County, Ohio, drug task force and retired commander of the Cincinnati Police Pharmaceutical Diversion Squad, is a 40-year veteran of law enforcement. Cmdr Burke also is the current president of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators. For information, he can be reached by e-mail at , via the Web site www.rxdiversion.com, or by phone at 513-336-0070.
Recently, I had the pleasure
of seeing something come to
fruition that had been planned
for some time. As president of the
National Association of Drug Diversion
Investigators (NADDI), I was able to
participate in a continuing medical education
(CME) event that involved law
enforcement, regulatory agents, and a
host of health professionals, including
pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and
physician assistants. All of these individuals
came together with law enforcement
to learn more about prescription
drug abuse and proper pain management
practices.
Diverse Perspectives, Shared Goals
The program was set in Florence,
Kentucky, with the CME credits procured
by The Hospice of the Bluegrass,
with assistance from John Peppin, DO,
NADDI's new medical liaison officer
and a pain management physician.
Significant assistance was provided
by several pharmaceutical companies,
other industry-related entities, and the
prescription-monitoring programs from
both Kentucky (KASPER) and Ohio
(OARRS). Attendees came from Ohio,
Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee.
This CME program stands out in my
mind, because hopefully it is a start to
a closer collaboration between health
professionals and law enforcement.
The hope is that we recognize that we
are all on the same side, with the ultimate
goal of providing uninterrupted
medication to those who are in need,
which are the vast majority of those
prescribed controlled substances.
Overcoming Fears
Over the past few years, some health
professionals have developed a fear
that law enforcement and regulatory
agencies are "out to get them." This is
usually the result of a local health professional
being arrested with rumors
flying—ultimately deemed to be an
unjust prosecution that should have
never happened. Conversely, some law
enforcement officers had mistakenly
believed that a significant number of
health professionals were involved in
unlawful activities.
When prescribers and dispensers of
controlled substances become fearful
of police oversight, it can cause a negative
outcome for the legitimate patient,
resulting in the undertreatment of his
or her pain. One way we thought to
reduce this anxiety was to get both
sides together and provide some relevant
topics so that all of us could
become better informed.
The topics provided were on general
pain management practices, diversion
issues in the emergency room, finding
a balance between pain management
and drug diversion, and simplifying
methods of investigating health professionals,
just to name a few. The
program ended with a panel discussion
by the presenters that offered some
very interesting scenarios and descriptions
of how each of the faculty would
proceed with the facts at hand. The
members of the audience also had a
turn in giving their opinion on each of
the situations.
Joining Forces
I was encouraged by the positive results
that came out of this CME program and
was honored to be one of the speakers.
The sincere hope is that this is not the
last CME collaboration between health
professionals and law enforcement,
and, if the sentiment of the attendees
was any indication, more of these will
be coming in the future.
I can assure you that NADDI is ready,
willing, and able to assist in providing
CME programs across the country
that encourage law enforcement
and health professional unity toward
reducing diversion and, at the same
time, safeguarding the needs of legitimate
patients.
This is no small task, but it is very
doable if we all work together, combine
our knowledge and experience,
and realize that we both do very serious
and important work that requires a
joint effort for the best outcomes.
Inside the Issue
