Reasons Why Toxicology Testing Helps Improve Patient Care

As health care providers, whether you are a physician, nurse practitioner, chiropractor, or other caregiver, your first responsibility is usually towards your patient.Reasons The idea of putting those under your care first is also, in part, described under the term, “medically necessary.”

So, when you hear about toxicology testing you don’t often associate it with being a medical necessity nor do you necessarily associate it with improving patient care. On top of this, recent news has highlighted several institutions in the United States as taking advantage of the reimbursement schedules and exploiting patients through over-testing.

We, at AMS, guarantee to put our partners first. Our toxicology solution complies with all current and all regulations currently in the process of being implemented. One key part of our solution is the ability to customize your toxicology testing profile for each patient and sample. This avoids all of the exploitation other services have provided and focuses on testing a patient for what you believe to be relevant. Our ability to help you institute toxicology testing from the ground up and customize a solution for you no matter what size your clinic may be, allows for us to provide top level service for you and your patients.

Going back to medical necessity, in keeping with the current guidelines being set forth on the state and federal level, and in keeping with the suggestions made by the CDC, toxicology testing is becoming part of the regular routine when prescribing specific medications and, in some instances, is even being required.

What it comes down to is not “if” you should be performing toxicology testing, it is on “who” and “what for?” Any prescriptions that alter mood or mental faculties should be prescribed in conjunction with some level of testing. Whether it is a pain medication, anti-depressant, anti-anxiety medication, amphetamine based or other medication for ADHD, or any number of other prescriptions, you should probably be testing your patients. This not only protects you, but it also ensures your patients are keeping in-line with their care and taking responsibility for their actions.

Some reasons why you should test:

  • Monitoring your patients to ensure they are keeping in line with their therapy

  • Analyzing for over-processors or under-processors and keeping an eye on patient response to certain medications

  • Testing in this scenario keeps an eye on patient toxicity to medication (in terms of under-processors)

  • Can determine whether medication interaction is taking place

  • Can also help determine if medication adjustment needs to be made

  • Ensure patient responsibility with treatment as well as compliance

There are several benefits to the practice, some of which have already been touched upon. Some other reasons include:

  • Help minimize patients that “doctor-shop” or drug seeking behavior

  • When prescribing specific classes of drugs, it creates a level of risk management by creating a layer of protection for the prescriber and practice

  • Increases level of patient care, most reasons mentioned above

  • Can provide some revenue for your practice

 

Drug interactions increase with each additional medication prescribed to a patient. With over 100,000 people in the United States dying each year from their medications, either through interactions or otherwise, the medications patients are taking are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Drug overdose has surpassed motor vehicle accidents as a leading cause of death. Opioid prescriptions are involved with around 72% of all prescription drug overdoses.

With these facts in mind, and in conjunction with the CDC’s suggestions and regulations made on the state and federal levels, toxicology testing is quickly becoming redefined as being medically necessary for the care of your patientsToxicology

Once you have decided on whether to test or not, the next question is what company to partner with. Please contact us with any questions you might have. We put our partners first and we provide a customized service that adheres to all regulations and restrictions while providing the best level of testing for you and your patients. In combination with our ability to provide all levels of service, we guarantee your protection. By placing an emphasis on patient care in a field that has notoriously been exploited, our service sets us apart and provides protection for you and your practice.

 

Contact your local CAC or call us at 888-315-1519