Dialogue Volume 12 Issue 4 2016 | Page 25

section Tk photo : istockphoto . com

College Action Plan on Inappropriate Prescribing

As part of the Joint Statement of Action to Address the Opioid Crisis , the College identified and committed to specific action within its own area of responsibility of medical regulation . “ We have set out timely , concrete actions to address problematic opioid prescribing ,” said Dr . Rocco Gerace , College Registrar . “ And we are committed to reporting on our progress in delivering these results .” The cornerstone of the College ’ s action plan is a collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to promote patient safety . Specifically , the College is contacting those physicians whose prescribing practices have been flagged by the Narcotic Monitoring System ( NMS ) as potentially concerning . The Ministry has been providing information to the College where it appears , based on NMS ’ s analysis of dispensing data , that some physicians are engaging in prescribing patterns that may not be consistent with the Canadian Guideline for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain and may suggest a possible risk to patients . Upon receipt of this information , the College considers the accuracy of the data , and the clinical context in which prescribing occurs , and seeks information from the prescribing physician in order to better understand and evaluate the prescribing . “ Our goal is to better understand the presence and level of risk for patients from opioid prescribing and to work with physicians to change practices , where needed . Understanding and questioning prescribing practices is not intended to discourage appropriate opioid prescribing ,” said Dr . Gerace . “ We must ensure that physicians have the tools they need to prescribe safely and with confidence ,” he said . The College pledged to :

Identify possible high-risk prescribing and follow up with each doctor to determine clinical context . By June 2017
Develop a plan to identify low-risk prescribing and provide a variety of educational interventions , including tools , that are tailored to individual needs of prescribers . By June 2017
Publicly report , as permitted by legislation , on the outcomes of the current approach . By December 2017
Update existing policy to reflect revised Canadian Guidelines and Health Quality Ontario Quality Standards ( if available ). By December 2017
Once all physicians have access to narcotics profiles , include the expectation in policy for physicians to check the medication profile prior to prescribing narcotics .
Use prescribing information ( comparative prescribing reports or prescribing data ), when available , to inform educational approaches in conjunction with assessment of physician practice .
Support and contribute to a broader strategy to ensure necessary supports are available to patients and other health professionals . MD
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