2014 PAINWeekEnd Regional Conference to highlight health crises of inadequate pain management

There are 116 million people in pain. There are 4,000 pain specialists. That's 29,000 patients per pain specialist. There are simply not enough pain specialists to go around.

What can frontline practitioners do to meet the challenges of this growing public health issue? Attend PAINWeekEnd Houston!

The 2014 PAINWeekEnd Regional Conference convenes on Saturday, May 10, in Houston at the Marriott Houston Westchase. Now entering its 4^th year, PAINWeekEnd Regional Conference series offers a concentrated day of continuing education in pain management designed expressly for frontline practitioners.

Currently, the state of Texas mandates up to 10 credits in pain management as a component of the annual requirement for licensure reregistration. PAINWeekEnd attendees can receive 6.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ as they enhance their capabilities in the assessment, diagnosis, and management of chronic pain conditions. Course topics include the fundamentals of pain and addiction; opioid conversions; opioid-induced hyperalgesia; and special considerations for methadone therapy. Attendees will also learn critically important skills in documentation and lab testing that are essential to navigating today's legal-regulatory environment for prescribers.

Commenting on the PAINWeekEnd Series, Debra Weiner, Aventine Managing Partner and Director of Program Development noted, "The dual public health crises of inadequate pain management and the challenges of balancing access to medication with responsible prescribing continue to be felt by primary care practices and their patients. The imbalance between the number of patients with pain and the number of available pain specialists is familiar to us all, and these PAINWeekEnd Conferences are a cost- and time-effective way for primary care clinicians to augment their skills in this critical arena."

The Prescription Access in Texas (PAT) program, administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety, was opened online to prescribers, pharmacists, and law enforcement in mid-2012. Commenting on this enhancement to prescription drug monitoring in the state, Larry Driver, MD, President-elect of the Texas Pain Society noted, "PAINWeekEnd Houston provides frontline clinicians an excellent opportunity to upgrade their pain management skills, and to learn how to make full use of the PAT program for the benefit and safety of their patients."

PAINWeekEnd Houston will be held on Saturday, May 10, at the Marriott Houston Westchase, on 2900 Briarpark Drive.