Managing Your Pain Together

Pain Management and Controlled Substances

Our Pain Management Philosophy

Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers wants to help you control your pain and improve your overall wellbeing. Our practices use multiple types of treatment to try and achieve these goals in a safe, effective and appropriate way. Therapy will be coordinated as part of the comprehensive management of your condition while working through diagnosis, treatments and medication management.

For some patients, opioid medication may be appropriate. Opioid therapy has potential risks and known side effects including the development of tolerance and addiction. Opioids can even cause patients to experience worsening pain. Because of these concerns, not all patients with chronic pain are candidates for opioid therapy.

Prescribers are being monitored carefully by state and federal authorities. It is their role to determine which patients would best be served with opioid management and for which patients these may be contraindicated.

Types of Therapy

Medication may not be the best type of therapy for you. Other options are available. Patients are encouraged to discuss these with their individual provider directly.

Our Policy & Your Responsibilities

Clear and consistent policies across all WMCHC offices are intended to ensure quality of care and compliance with legal and ethical standards of sound medical practice.

• Medications are intended to be part of a comprehensive treatment program and failure to comply with all parts of the treatment program may result in discontinuation of medication.
• A Pain Contract will be initiated for patients who are being treated for chronic pain management with controlled substances.
• Patients with chronic pain issues who are treated elsewhere with narcotic therapy should maintain their relationships with their prescribing provider whenever possible (e.g., orthopedic surgeon, neurologist, rheumatologist or pain specialist). In some cases, we can coordinate care with your specialist to handle refills and emergencies locally. This will require a signed letter from your prescribing provider.
• Excessive use, misuse or abuse of medication will end all further prescriptions for the medications.
• Excessive alcohol or any illicit drug use while taking narcotic medications, sedative-hypnotics or stimulants will end all further prescriptions for the medications
• Driving or operating machinery while taking narcotics or sedative-hypnotics may result in injury or death. If you choose to drive a vehicle, to operate machinery, or use other equipment while under the influence of these medications, you do so at risk of arrest, injury and death.
• Lost prescriptions or medications will not be replaced. Stolen prescriptions or medications may be replaced at the discretion of the practice and only after a police report is provided to the office.
• Upon request of the practice, a patient will submit a urine sample for testing to ensure that the medications being prescribed are being taken and that no illicit drugs are being used. Refusal will end all further prescriptions.
• Changing or altering a narcotic prescription, selling, trading, lending, or borrowing of narcotics is illegal. These events are felonies under federal law and are not protected by the patient-doctor professional relationship. Any information we receive regarding such acts will be reported to the police or U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
• If any threat of legal action or violence is made against any of our staff in order to obtain medications, the police will be notified of attempted extortion and possible felony drug diversion.

Medication Refills

Please review the following office policies prior to running out of your medication:

• Only one provider in an office will prescribe controlled substances for you. Regularly scheduled follow-up appointments with your provider will be required to review all aspects of your treatment.
• Under no circumstances will controlled substances be refilled or ordered outside of our normal business hours or on a walk-in basis. Please give three business days’ notice of the need for a refill.
• Calling for a refill of medications does not guarantee a refill. Many medications cannot be called into a pharmacy, so allow time to pick up your prescriptions.