Dr. Ronald J. Kulich, PhD, has responsibilities including development and management of opioid risk assessment protocols for the Massachusetts General Hospital Pain Center and Facial Pain/Headache Center at Tufts School of Dental Medicine. Other academic responsibilities include treatment guideline development for work injury with specific focus on opioid therapy risk, Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents, membership in the Mass Pain Initiative Public Policy Council, and training committee for the MA Prescription Monitoring Program. Much of his recent work has been focused on CME/CE content development with respect to risk assessment for controlled substances. He has co-chaired the Massachusetts Dental Education Core Competencies Subcommittee for the Prevention and Management of Prescription Drug Misuse, and maintains membership in the Law Enforcement Prescription Monitoring Program Educational Program. His fellowship training responsibilities include supervision of Anesthesia/Pain Medicine and Orofacial Pain Medicine Fellows (Mass General Hospital), management of the behavioral sciences curriculum for Tufts School of Dental Medicine, and supervision of psychology graduate interns within the pain centers. Patient clinical care and assessment activities include evidence-based use of screening/assessment with a range of chronic pain populations, and impact of public policy on access to pain care. His work has resulted in over 100 publications. Most recent publications focus on questionnaire construction, and outcome predictors with chronic opioid therapy.

Current data is presented with respect to the presence of controlled substance use among general practice patients, cost effective strategies for conducting a valid assessment, and crisis strategies for management, tapering, and interprofessional collaboration.

At the conclusion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Be familiar with the current research findings associated with controlled substance risk assessment, particularly as they relate to opioid therapy
• Recognize particularly at-risk sub-groups, including populations utilizing controlled substances
• Review tools and techniques for assessing and managing the patient at risk

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