Practice Management

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

By Peter Graber NCAFP Communications Services

MAHEC Plays Leading Role in New AAFP Field Manual on Opioid Use Disorder

In late February, the AAFP formally published its first field manual on treating Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Release of the manual was a culmination of several years of work that featured faculty from North Carolina’s Mountain Area Health Education Center program (MAHEC) playing a lead role.

“This manual we hope will provide basic information and access to further reading and resources to increase physician comfort level in treating this disease,” explained Dr. Susan McDowell, a faculty physician and substance use educator with MAHEC’s Family Medicine Residency Program in Asheville. McDowell spends half her time in patient care and the other half in education and community outreach around substance use disorders, primarily OUD, and acted as the designated lead author of the manual.

The manual’s release comes at a key time in the fight to reduce opioid abuse-related deaths. According to provisional data released late last year by the CDC, the total number of US drug overdose deaths increased 18.2% between June 2019 and May 2020, with the largest increase occurring at the start of the nation’s pandemic response from March 2020 to May 2020.

Broadly, the manual is the first contemporary field guide designed to orient family physicians on treating OUD within their patient populations. The guide provides an overview of current best practices, reviews diagnostic criteria, and offers a convenient outline of the processes physicians and practices can use to implement OUD services. An excellent listing of resources is also provided for additional study.

MAHEC’s involvement originated from AFFP’s solicitation as they conceptualized the effort. MAHEC has built a national reputation as a leading expert in OUD clinical treatment, with faculty members presenting several didactic sessions at AAFP conferences, as well as presenting medication-assisted trainings across North Carolina. They also provide technical assistance to physicians, health agencies and community health centers. According to McDowell, MAHEC has trained more than 3,000 healthcare providers across the state over the last two years and more than 19,000 participants in its continuing education programs.

During development of the manual, McDow-

Treating Opioid Use Disorder as a Chronic Condition A Practice Manual for Family Physicians

This manual was developed and distributed using funds from an unrestricted grant through Indivior.

See 'OUD' on back cover

RESOURCES School Presentation Toolkit Available on Our Website

As a family physician, you have likely been asked to deliver a presentation at your child's school or a school in your area. We want to make that easier for you -- to talk about both issues regarding healthcare but more importantly to encourage student interest in healthcare careers, particularly Family Medicine.

Your Workforce Pipeline Committee has developed a toolkit to assist you in these presentations. You can download the toolkit on our website at www.ncafp.com/school-presentations.

You will find four PDF files. The first is an overview of making school presentations and includes tips and a checklist. The next three files include age-appropriate materials for presenting to three different groups: K-3, 4th to 7th grade, and 8th to 12th grade. The materials in each age group are meant to be fun, engaging, and encourage active participation— from videos, games, flashcards, and activities to worksheets and interactive quizzes.

We hope you find this toolkit useful and helpful. If you would like to provide feedback about these materials, please e-mail NCAFP EVP Greg Griggs at ggriggs@ncafp.com.

A special thank you to Dr. Kathryn Timberlake, a physician in Greensboro, who organized these materials as part of a leadership project while completing her residency.

Helping physicians in medicine, business, and life.

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Reach many types of Family Medicine professionals in North Carolina. Contact Peter Graber with the NCAFP at pgraber@ncafp.com

my support system. They include community members like my dance teacher, scuba diving instructor, and local plant nursery experts. Each student’s team will look different but keeping those core principles in mind when meeting inspirational individuals is key: communication, honesty, and overlapping goals.

A Growing Team

I have seen my team grow and change with each new networking opportunity. Mentors and leaders introduce me to new networks, and each time I am so thankful for the connections that are made. Starting residency, I look forward to finding new teammates, bringing them with me to conferences along the way, and continuing to build my team. Together, we will serve North Carolina fearlessly.

fight the stigma and shame some patients with substance use disorders feel by letting patients know it is not who they are - they are not an addict just like someone is not an asthmatic, they are a person with an OUD or a person with asthma.”

Members are encouraged to download the manual at www.ncafp.com/ oud-manual

OUD, from p26

ell described how she and other authors benefited from reviewing the work and research in the space and how they applied these learnings in building the manual.

“The key thing we learned here at MAHEC by working on this manual is how much family physicians need a simplified, easy-to-read resource to get started. My hope is providers will read this manual and realize OUD is a treatable disease within the realm of family practice,” she noted.

For Dr. McDowell, treating OUD has been one of the most rewarding parts of her career thus far. While she feels it’s unfortunate that many barriers, misconceptions, and stigma exist around treatment for this community, it’s a population of people who desperately need medical care. The manual is a great way to get started.

“I’m going to adopt one of my favorite advertising slogans and say, “Just Do It!”,” McDowell says. “Remember, OUD just like any other chronic illness that benefits from evidence-based treatment. We can

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