Millennium Laboratories Sponsors Educational Programs in Support of Safe Prescribing Practices at Regional Pain Society Conferences

SAN DIEGO, April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Centers for Disease Control reports annual deaths involving opioid pain relievers has quadrupled in a decade to nearly 15,000 in the United States. In New York and North and South Carolina, the number of people misusing or abusing prescription medications continues to rise, sparking attention amongst policymakers and underscoring the need for access to quality care for those suffering from pain. For these reasons, Millennium Laboratories, the leading research-based clinical diagnostic company dedicated to improving the lives of people suffering from pain, announced today that it is a major sponsor of the New York State Pain Society and the University of North Carolina (UNC) - Pain Society of the Carolinas conferences on pain management.

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Seminars sponsored by Millennium will be held at the upcoming New York State Pain Society Inaugural Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions on April 27-29 at the Renaissance Westchester Hotel in West Harrison, New York and the UNC - Pain Society of the Carolinas Conference April 27-28 at the William and Ida Friday Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Key thought leaders will present on medication use in the pain population, the clinical and benefits of medication monitoring and safely prescribing controlled substances that support better patient outcomes.

"As a founding member of the New York State Pain Society and a charter member of the Pain Society of the Carolinas, we are committed to educating prescribers about pain medication monitoring to support good clinical care and help develop treatment plans for those patients who may be misusing or abusing medications, an issue that is now an epidemic in our nation," said Howard Appel, President of Millennium Laboratories. "We are acutely aware of the challenges physicians face today when it comes to safely treating people with chronic pain, and through our educational efforts, we strive to provide prescribers with tools for effective patient-focused medication monitoring, risk management and best practices for complying with any new state regulations in a time of increasing regulatory scrutiny."

"Like many other states across the country, New York has experienced alarming increases in accidental overdoses and emergency room admissions related to prescription medication misuse. Support for new regulations to decrease these instances and subsequent physician education on what new policies mean for prescribers is crucial," said Alexander Weingarten, M.D., Co-founding President, New York State Pain Society and Co-director, Comprehensive Pain Management Associates. "Millennium Laboratories and our other industry partners have been instrumental in supporting our society since its inception last year, and we are now in the position to bring together pain physicians and thought leaders in the state and across the nation to jointly address issues important to the industry."

Millennium Research and Expertise Shared at Conferences

New York State Pain Society Inaugural Meeting

At this weekend's New York State Pain Society Inaugural Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions, Millennium supported the following educational sessions:

• Friday, April 27: "Medication Use and the Pain Population: New York and National," presented by Kathy Egan City, President and Executive Director of Millennium Research Institute.
• Saturday, April 28: Corporate Member Showcase – "Interpreting and Responding to Unexpected Urinary Drug Test Results," presented by Charles Argoff, M.D., Professor, Department of Neurology, Albany Medical College.
• Saturday, April 28: Corporate Member Round Robin Session – "Case Studies in UDT Interpretation," presented by Angela Huskey, Pharm.D., Director of Clinical Practice Education, Millennium Laboratories, and Research Scientist, Millennium Research Institute.

The UNC – Pain Society of the Carolinas Meeting

At this weekend's UNC – Pain Society of the Carolinas Pain, Addiction and the Law Meeting, Millennium will sponsor one session:

• Friday, April 27: "The Pain Patient Population: Patient-Centered Mediation Monitoring and Differential Diagnosis," presented by Steven D. Passik, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, and Jennifer Strickland, Pharm.D., BCPS, Research Scientist, Millennium Research Institute.

About Millennium Laboratories:

Millennium Laboratories is the leading research-based clinical diagnostic company dedicated to improving the lives of people suffering from pain. The company provides healthcare professionals with scientific data, clinical tools and services that help personalize treatment plans to improve clinical outcomes and patient safety. The company utilizes leading technology and proprietary methodologies to provide some of the fastest and most reliable medication monitoring and drug detection results via both urine drug testing (UDT) and oral fluid testing. Test results are backed by expert toxicologists, clinical guidance and dedicated customer service.

Millennium's commitment to advancing the science and the field of pain management also includes a strong focus on the advancement of industry research, education and advocacy. Through its association with the Millennium Research Institute, a nonprofit national research center, it quickly has gained respect as a leader in toxicology, pharmacology and pain management research and education, providing healthcare professionals with innovative research to advance the assessment and management of chronic pain.

SOURCE Millennium Laboratories