Pain Management: Provider Information and Tools

Florida Blue is committed to providing information and tools that are easy to access to assist providers in managing long-term chronic pain patients. By using these tools, providers can improve and optimize patient outcomes.

Safe and effective chronic opioid therapy requires appropriate drug prescribing and regular assessments of a patient’s improvements in pain and function. Optimally balancing benefits and risks of high-dose chronic opioid therapy is dependent on regular and comprehensive monitoring, as well as anticipating and appropriately managing opioid-related adverse effects.

The following resources and tools are available to assist clinicians in managing pain:

Resources

• CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
• American Pain Society
• NCCN Guidelines for Adult Cancer Pain (PDF) (free registration required)
• ASCO Guideline for Integration of Palliative Care Into Standard Oncology Care
• Florida Department of Health – Take Control of Controlled Substances

Tools - for assessing and managing chronic pain

• Checklist (PDF) for prescribing opioids for chronic pain
• Instructions (PDF) for calculating total daily dose of opioids
• E-FORCSE (Florida's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program)
• Opioid Risk Tool (PDF)
• Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for People who Consume Alcohol and Use Opioids (PDF)

Patient Education

• Prescription Opioids: What You Need to Know (PDF)
• JAMA Patient Page: Opioids for Chronic Pain