Drug abuse – primarily opioid abuse – is increasing among patients undergoing pain management therapy. Unlike other toxicology laboratories, Calloway has customized our process to work with doctors’ offices with protocols specifically designed for the pain management field. Our Pain Care Protocol limits physician liability while improving patient care.

Limiting Physician Liability

In response to the growing abuse of prescription drugs, the medical profession is increasing its use of drug testing. It has become a fundamental part of any pain management regimen. Early identification of prescription misuse helps doctors recognize patients with possible issues. Government agencies, such as the DEA, are increasing their monitoring of physician compliance to address the growing problems of drug diversion and drug addiction.

Calloway’s Pain Care Protocol helps limit physician liability by demonstrating a doctor’s proactive efforts towards preventing diversion and misuse of controlled substances. It is not recommended that physicians rely solely on behavioral characteristics and self-reported usage. Both methods have been shown to be ineffective when not combined with routine urine screening.

Improving Patient Care.

Because self-reporting of drug use is unreliable, it is not always easy to identify a patient who may be at risk. Regular urine testing is recommended using Calloway’s protocol. By developing a more accurate patient profile, physicians can implement individual treatment regimens that address each patient’s risk factors.

Specimen Cup.

Calloway provides physicians with a unique split chamber cup for preliminary results in less than five minutes. This cup an excellent tool for early identification of possible problems with patients undergoing pain management treatment. Calloway’s Pain Care Protocol is designed for instant results to be verified by a quantitative test. This unique cup has a snap-top to secure the receptacle for safe transportation to our laboratory.

Immunoassay Screening.

Calloway’s Pain Care Protocol includes immunoassay urine testing to detect and quantify targeted drugs. Our technology identifies any of 17 controlled substances, making it one of the most comprehensive portfolios available. We customize this list for each practice depending on the requirements of the treatment regimen.

• Amphetamines
• Barbiturates
• Benzodiazepines
• Cocaine Metabolite
• Propoxyphene
• PCP
• THC
• Ethanol
• Opiates
• Methadone
• MDMA
• Oxycodone
• Buprenorphine
• Tramadol NEW!
• Fentanyl
• ETG
• Meperidine COMING SOON!

In-house Confirmation.

Our Pain Care Protocol includes an in-house Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) confirmation test for all positive immunoassay screens. Although many confirmation methods are used throughout the industry, GC/MS is considered the “Gold Standard” for quantification. For some drug confirmations, our in-house LC/MS-MS is used.

Integrated Medical Review.

Calloway offers a one-of-a-kind Medical Review Officer (MRO) process developed specifically for our Pain Care Protocol. Unlike commonly performed medical reviews, our MRO does not simply look for positive results, but also identifies inconsistencies between toxicology results and the drugs prescribed by the ordering physician. The MRO response has been fully integrated into our reporting so that physicians receive MRO comments with each test.

On-line Results.

Physicians can choose how test results are delivered. In addition to faxing and hand delivery, we can provide results via our HIPAA compliant web-site. Calloway was one of the first clinical laboratories to offer on-line results.

Third-Party Billing.

Calloway handles all billing through third-party insurance carriers, eliminating the need for physicians to bill for laboratory testing. This means the benefits of Calloway’s Pain Care Protocol are available without administrative effort or financial obligation.