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Continuing Education - Continuing Professional Development for Today's Healthcare Professionals
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Responsible Clinical Decision-Making When Dispensing Opioids


 

Overview

This online course is part of the Texas Opioid Training Initiative (TXOTI.org), an initiative that promotes evidence-based practices to reduce opioid and other substance-related risk in Texas communities. This course reviews the importance of healthcare providers making patient-centered decisions when prescribing or dispensing opioids, particularly when it comes to buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD). It will examine how providers can ensure they are doing everything they can to increase access to this life-saving treatment for patients.

Registration (FREE)

  • Register for this activity using the BLUE Continue button at the bottom of this page.
  • After registration is complete, save your email & password and bookmark this page for easier access in the future.
  • Returning to the Course:  To continue where you left off, click Login in the upper right corner of the screen and enter your email and password. Do not use the blue button to log back in - this is for first-time access only. 
  • See Continuing Education Credit below for course completion requirements.

Fee

$0.00

CE Hours

1.00

CE Units

0.100

Activity Type

Knowledge

Target Audience(s)

nurse practitioners
Nurses
Pharmacists
Pharmacy Technicians
Physician Assistant
Physicians
Social Workers

 

Module

Responsible Clinical Decision-Making When Dispensing Opioids
   

Responsible Clinical Decision-Making When Dispensing Opioids

IMPORTANT: Review all module materials before you Take the Test. 

Learning Objectives

  • Describe how to model patient-centered care for special populations, with a focus on patients who are prescribed opioids.
  • Recognize the impact that stigma can potentially have on clinical decision-making in the pharmacy for patients who are prescribed opioids.
  • Describe how to interpret data gathered from the prescription monitoring program (PMP) to differentiate between potential indicators of controlled substance diversion and appropriate access to opioid medications for the management of pain or treatment of opioid use disorder.

Presenter

Tyler Varisco, PharmD, PhD
Assistant Professor
The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
 
Tyler Varisco is a registered pharmacist and trained health services researcher. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from The University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy. His research focuses on evaluating and improving the quality of care for persons with opioid use disorder (OUD). Dr. Varisco's work leverages diverse research methods to identify and address systemic barriers to harm reduction and treatment in provider offices and pharmacies. Dr. Varisco led a collaborative effort between the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the National Community Pharmacists Association and three colleges of pharmacy to create and disseminate the Pharmacy Access to Resources and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Practice Guideline, a consensus, evidence-based guidance to address clinical obstacles that limit access to medication for OUD in the community pharmacy setting. Dr. Varisco has a keen interest in identifying policy targets to promote equitable access to treatment for individuals living with substance use disorder or other behavioral health conditions. He currently serves as a subject matter expert for the revision of Treatment Improvement Protocol 63, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's guidance on medications for OUD. Much of his published research examines how policy changes affect patient and provider experiences with healthcare quality at the point of care for individuals in treatment and recovery.
 

Financial Disclosures

None of the faculty, planners, authors, reviewers, or others in control of educational content for this activity have any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.
 

Activity Number

0067-0000-26-048-H08-P/T

Release Date: Jul 1, 2026
Credit Expiration Date: Jul 1, 2029

CE Hours

1.00
   

Continuing Education Credit

Continuing Education Credit
   

Steps to Complete Module for CE Credit

This online activity is approved for a maximum of 0.1 CEU (1.0 contact hour) of continuing education credit.

To receive CE credit:

  • Make sure you are registered and logged in (your name should appear in the top right of the screen).
  • Open the module by clicking the title in the light blue tab listed above.
  • Within the module, scroll down to Presentation Materials to view the video and presentation slides.
  • After viewing the video/slides in its entirety, take the test and view your graded answers (no minimum score required).
  • Upon completing the test, submit the evaluation to earn CE credit. A certificate with CE credit can be accessed by clicking "View/Print CE Credit" listed under "My Account" at the top right of the page. The CE certificate remains available in the learner's CE profile for future access.
  • NOTE: Pharmacy CE credit is automatically transmitted via CPE Monitor using the NABP e-profile ID entered during registration.

Visit the CE accreditation information to view the different types of CE credit offered for this course. 

   

Funding Disclosure

Funding Disclosure
   

Funding Disclosure

This presentation is supported by the Texas Targeted Opioid Response, a public health initiative operated by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission through federal funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, grant award number 1H79TI087739.

The views expressed in this online course do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, Texas Health and Human Services, University of Texas System, UT Health San Antonio, UT Austin, the U.S. or Texas Government, or any of the entities they represent.

   

Questions

Questions
   

If you have questions about course content or CE credit, please email the UT College of Pharmacy Continuing Education Office: UTpharmacyCE@austin.utexas.edu