Moving Upstream of the Opioid Epidemic

A New Framework for Addressing Pain to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder

April 22, 2020

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: This event will now be held virtually, adhering to COVID-19 outbreak guidelines. For more information, click here.

Overview

Commonly, a person’s initial exposure to prescription opioids follows an incidence of acute or chronic pain. When used as prescribed under a medical provider’s supervision, opioids can be an effective method of treating pain. However, opioids also have addictive properties that can make them dangerous when used inappropriately, a contributing factor to the opioid crisis that exists today. Consequently, opioid prescribing restrictions and guidelines have become more stringent. Although these guidelines have decreased incidences of opioid exposure, there have been unintended consequences for persons with painful conditions.

There are systemic barriers to accessing other high-quality, timely, cost-effective methods of pain management. Pain diagnosis and management training has been lacking within healthcare, and health plan benefit design often incentivizes the utilization of opioids over equally effective and less risky alternatives. Unaddressed pain has significant physical, emotional, and societal costs. As healthcare purchasers, employers play an imperative role in optimizing the quality of healthcare and health services that their employees and their dependents are receiving to manage their pain.

Join the Kentuckiana Health Collaborative (KHC) for this half day event to learn about pain – where we’ve come from, where we are, and how employers can drive where we need to go.

Audience

We invite all health and healthcare stakeholders to join us, including healthcare providers, health plans, employers, government, community organizations, and more. Registration is free.

This event is approved for 3.5 hours of SHRM and HRCI credits.

Speakers

Panelists

Attendee Resources

Symposium resources such as the agenda, speaker information, slide decks, handouts, and more can be accessed here.

Sponsorships

If your organization is interested in potential sponsorship or exhibitor opportunities for the Pain Symposium, please contact Emily Divino at edivino@khcollaborative.org.

THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS