AR-IMPACT (Improving Multi-disciplinary Pain Care and Treatment) is a free program designed to help health care providers better manage their chronic pain patients and those who need their opioid dosage reduced.
Each week, the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute hosts a televideo conference so health care providers can speak with a multidisciplinary team about cases. This team includes an addiction medicine physician, a pain management physician, a psychologist, a physical therapist and two clinical pharmacists. Continuing medical education credit is available to participants.
When are the conferences:
Every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.
What will they cover:
The conference starts with a short presentation about patient care on topics such as dosing reduction strategies. A case conference format discussion then follows so health care providers can present any difficult case to discuss with their peers and the panel of subspecialists. Participants can directly present their case during the conference. However, the team would prefer they submit cases beforehand so the team can study the case files in advance. Cases can be submitted by clicking here.
How to register:
Click here to participate in the weekly conferences. These conferences are recorded and archived to watch through UAMS Learn on Demand. Registration is required to review archived presentations.
As of April 2019, the AR-IMPACT has held 46 case conferences and 754 live participants have received continuing medical education credit.
G. Richard Smith, M.D., is the medical director of the Drug and Misuse and Injury Prevention Branch and a professor in the departments of Psychiatry, Medicine and Public Health at UAMS. Here he explains the concept for the creation of AR-IMPACT.
AR-IMPACT was launched through a partnership between UAMS, the Arkansas Medical Society, the Arkansas Academy of Family Medicine, the Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas State Medical Board. It is also possible through the generosity of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Office of the State Drug Director.