Program Description
Acute pain carries a significant economic burden. Opioids, while often effective for short-term pain relief, contribute to this burden through potential long-term complications like addiction, overdose, and related health care utilization, increasing overall costs. Traditional nonopioid therapies, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen, offer opportunities for potential long-term cost-effectiveness by minimizing these opioid-related complications. Emerging drugs that target voltage-gated sodium channels may offer opportunities to manage acute pain. Managed care professionals and pharmacists must consider emerging evidence for nonopioid therapies as well as guidelines for acute pain management to support balanced, patient-centered approaches with each treatment strategy. This supplement will explore the clinical and economic burdens associated with managing acute pain as well as opportunities to reduce health care utilization through evidence-based guidelines, such as CDC recommendations for acute pain management, that emphasize the prioritization of nonopioid therapies for acute pain management. Key managed care strategies, including formulary management, utilization management techniques, and legislative and operational strategies to promote access to nonopioid therapies, will be reviewed.
Target Audience: Managed care pharmacists
Type of Activity: Application
Release date: March 31, 2025
Expiration date: March 10, 2026
Learner level: Foundational
Time to complete activity: 2.0 hours
Fee: Free
Educational Objectives
At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
- Examine the clinical and economic burden and challenges of managing acute pain within current treatment paradigms.
- Analyze the clinical trial data on the efficacy and safety of novel nonopioid pain treatments, comparing them to traditional opioid therapies.
- Investigate the unmet need and economic burden of acute pain management.
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