New Opioid Pain Management Guide Recommends Providers Use Telehealth for Patient Visits During Pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care physicians should provide opioid therapy for their patients through telehealth visits using two-way video such as Skype or FaceTime, or by telephone, according to a new AHRQ-funded guide. Advantages of telehealth visits include gaining insights into the patient’s home setting, making patients more comfortable by being able to receive care outside of a medical setting, and allowing patients to receive care without leaving home. Providers should advise patients to check if their health insurance covers video and telephone visits, the guide recommends. Providers also should document in each patient’s medical record that telehealth was provided to comply with social distancing recommendations and to decrease the risk of infection. The AHRQ-funded Six Building Blocks program, which produced the guide, is an evidence-based quality improvement program to help primary care providers improve chronic pain management for patients who use long-term opioid therapy. Access the guide.