North Carolina medical journal
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking to transform Medicare by purchasing "value" from health care providers and physicians. At Vidant Medical Center, we have begun to link the requirements of the CMS Value-Based Purchasing Program to the goals and objectives embedded within our quality improvement initiatives.
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The use of opioids to treat chronic noncancer pain is controversial because of concerns about safety, efficacy, and the potential for addiction and abuse. Clinicians must therefore continue to seek out alternatives to opioids, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants.
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Chronic pain and mental health: moving beyond the conceptualization of pain as the fifth vital sign.
Current approaches to the assessment and treatment of chronic pain continue to rely predominantly on the medical model. However, the comorbidity of chronic pain with psychiatric conditions underscores the need for a biopsychosocial and interdisciplinary approach to pain that can bridge the gap between scientific understanding and medical practice.