Pain and addiction treatment practices in Tennessee could soon become standardized.
A commission of 19 experts worked up a program that would create a uniform curriculum for training doctors, nurses and other medical providers who can prescribe pain medication.
"We're talking about everyone who's going to be part of that system," said Dr. David Reagan, Chief Medical Officer of Tennessee Department of Health. "So, in the state of Tennessee they'll get the same education in their training programs."
The commission has been working since January to create the structure of the education. Governor Haslam said many people had input.
“The first-hand involvement of medical professionals was critical in this process, as they will be the ones implementing these competencies to greatly enhance the effectiveness of our heath care provider training,” Haslam said. “This is just the first step in improving the training that our future prescribers receive around addiction and pain medicine, and we feel confident that this will make a difference as we continue to tackle the opioid crisis in Tennessee.”
The program is a part of TN Together, a resource for people who want to help stop the opioid crisis.
