Today’s podcast will cover a substance of great concern today, fentanyl. We will  discuss and share information regarding the following: Latest trends in the drug misuse epidemic in the US What you need to know about fentanyl Why you need to consider drug testing for fentanyl (and other illicit substances) and how to  implement drug testing in your practice The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor Dr Jeff Gudin and Medical Science Liaison Dr Jack Kain. You may download a PDF version of this presentation here >> To listen to other podcasts in our Topics in Drug Testing series, or learn more about Quest Diagnostics’ comprehensive drug testing offering, please visit QuestDrugMonitoring.com. There you will find our Drug Monitoring Test Directory, as well as educational resources and insights from our team of toxicology experts. At Quest Diagnostics we are committed to providing you results and insight to support your clinical decisions.

The convergence of the opioid epidemic and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created new healthcare challenges. Health systems, from a system- and individual clinician-level, are more important than ever in the pursuit of addressing the epidemic within the pandemic. In this session, Dr Gudin discusses with Dr Pat Alagia on the Quest Dialogues podcast: Recently-published data by Quest that demonstrates decreased drug testing overall, with increased positivity for high-risk drugs and dangerous drug combinations  Tools and practices for clinicians to assess and stratify patients for potential prescription drug abuse System-level strategies that employ an integrated care delivery approach, including leveraging community and diagnostics partnerships, to support impacted patient populations

Today’s podcast will cover the value of prescription and illicit drug testing and provide insight on the different clinical drug testing methodologies. We will discuss and share information regarding the following: Current state of the drug misuse epidemic in the US The value and clinical utility of drug testing Overview of the 2 main methodologies of drug testing, presumptive and definitive The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Jeff Gudin; Medical Science Liaison Jack Kain, PharmD; and Executive Science Director, Les Edinboro, PhD.

Today’s podcast discussion will focus on clinical care for patients with mental health disorders. Will discuss and share information regarding: Mental health disorder and substance abuse prevalence The clinical utility of pharmacogenomics in mental health and addiction Mental health disorders and medication nonadherence The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Jeff Gudin; Medical Liaison Jack Kain, PharmD; and Director, Medical Science Liaison—Neurology and Pharmacogenomics, Raymond Lorenz.

Today’s podcast discussion will focus on appropriate steps to take to implement an effective Drug Monitoring Protocol in your practice. Key information shared will include: Some of the key challenges facing clinicians today Important steps to take for implementing a responsible drug monitoring protocol How Quest can help The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Jeff Gudin; Medical Liaison Jack Kain, PharmD; and Senior Product Manager Jason Suomala, for the Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology division.

Today’s podcast discussion will focus on the importance of drug monitoring and the benefits of “alternative” sample collection options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key information shared will include: How clinical drug monitoring is a critical tool to help assess prescription compliance with controlled substances and help identify drug misuse Situations, including the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-office collection isn't always possible Quest Diagnostics’ offerings for alternative specimen collection options, including:- Self /At-Home collection- Patient Service Center collection How alternative collection options can help ensure your patients get the testing they need The episode will feature Quest Senior Medical Advisor, Dr Jeff Gudin, and Jason Suomala, Senior Product Manager for the Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology division.

Today’s podcast will share results of a recent Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ publication, The Opioid Epidemic Within the COVID-19 Pandemic: Drug Monitoring in 2020, which was published in the October 2020 edition of Population Health Management. The study objective was to better understand the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the drug epidemic in the US. To achieve this objective, investigators analyzed urine specimen results from an analytic cohort of 872,762 specimens from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Findings demonstrated significant changes in prescription drug monitoring and positivity rates for many drugs of concern. Important study results and conclusions discussed will include: Clinical drug testing decreased significantly during the pandemic period Nonprescribed positivity for fentanyl, heroin, and other drugs of concern increased significantly Many dangerous drug combinations, including combinations with fentanyl,  increased significantly The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the treatment of patients at risk for substance use disorder The role of clinical drug monitoring This episode features Dr Jeff Gudin, senior medical advisor, Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology, and Justin Niles, lead medical informatics analyst for Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™.

Today’s podcast will cover drug testing for stimulants and will highlight some of the challenges in results interpretation for this class of drugs. Important information shared during the discussion will include: What is classified as a stimulant Analysis of Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, and MDMA Interpretation challenges Synthetic stimulants The role of clinical drug monitoring Quest Diagnostics amphetamine drug testing offering   The episode features Dr Les Edinboro, PhD, executive science director, and Dr Jeff Gudin, senior medical advisor, Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology.

Today’s podcast will cover the role of clinical drug monitoring in Behavioral Health and during times of crisis. Important information shared will include: Mental Health disorders, diagnosis and prevalence The challenge of medication adherence in mental health treatment The impact of crises on the treatment of patients with mental health conditions The role of clinical drug monitoring   The episode features Dr Jeff Gudin, senior medical advisor and Dr Jack Kain, medical science liaison for the Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology division.

Today’s podcast will cover key findings from the annual Quest Diagnostics Health Trends report, Drug Misuse in America. Some of the key topics shared will include: Summary of analysis of more than 4.4 million de-identified drug monitoring tests performed by Quest Diagnostics from 2011 through 2018 Findings of a Harris Poll survey of 500 primary care physicians, as part of Health Trends report analysis Highlights of the evolving drug misuse crisis in America, including Drug mixing and the overdose death connection Key challenges facing physicians today, with regards to identifying drug misuse, and treating patients with chronic pain The role and importance of drug monitoring and incorporating it into medical practice This episode features Dr Jeff Gudin, senior medical advisor, Quest Diagnostics Drug Monitoring and Toxicology, and Justin Niles, lead medical informatics analyst for Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™.