July 22 & 23, 2019; Indiana Marriot East – Indianapolis, Indiana

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) held a Practitioner Diversion Awareness Conference (PDAC) on July 22 & 23, 2019 in Indianapolis, IN. This was a one-day conference, repeated on the second day, for the convenience of the practitioner community. The conference was developed and designed to address the growing problem of diversion of pharmaceutical controlled substances throughout the United States. In addition to pharmacy robberies and thefts, pharmaceutical controlled substances are often diverted by way of forged prescriptions, doctor shoppers, or illegitimate prescriptions from rogue practitioners. The objective of this conference was to educate healthcare professionals on ways to address and respond to potential diversion activity.

There were 416 veterinarians, dentists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners in attendance. The conference attendees received approximately seven hours of instruction on a variety of topics. The presentations included: The Opioid Epidemic and the Practice of Legitimate Medicine; Drugs of Abuse and Trends; Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction; The Medical Licensing Board of Indiana; Prescriptions for Controlled Substances; Methods of Diversion and Effective Controls for Controlled Substances; Indiana State Medical Association Physician Assistance Program; Inventories, Records, and Reports; Disposal, Return of Patient Meds., and Options for Patients; Registration Issues; Telemedicine; Training & Resources; and Indiana Prescription Monitoring Program.

Selected presentations from the Indianapolis, Indiana PDAC are below.

The Opioid Epidemic and the Practice of Legitimate Medicine – Aziz Elkholy, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Drugs of Abuse and Trends – Marsha L.D. Ikner, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction – Terry Cook, Ed. S., Assistant Director, State Opioid Treatment Authority

The Medical Licensing Board of Indiana – Darren Covington, J. D., Executive Director, Medical Licensing Board of Indiana

Prescriptions for Controlled Substances – Marsha L.D. Ikner, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Methods of Diversion and Effective Controls for Controlled Substances – Aziz Elkholy, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Inventories, Records, and Reports – Paula Albert, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Disposal, Return of Patient Meds, and Options for Patients – James A. Arnold, Section Chief, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Registration Issues – Paula Albert, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Telemedicine – James A. Arnold, Section Chief, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Training & Resources – Maria Gilbert, Staff Coordinator, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Indiana Prescription Monitoring Program – Kara Slusser, Director of INSPECT, Indiana Prescription Monitoring Program