(Part 1) ORN Webinar Series: A two-part, one hour each, webinar. Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed for patients receiving opioid maintenance treatment. This talk will review the potential risks and benefits of prescribing benzodiazepines receiving opioid maintenance treatment, approaches to minimizing risks when prescribing benzodiazepines, and approaches to benzodiazepine discontinuation. The second hour will be devoted to Q&A and case studies may be included to advance ones knowledge on the topic.

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Goals & Objectives: 

1. Discuss the risks of benzodiazepine use in patients receiving opioid maintenance treatment
2. Discuss the potential benefits of benzodiazepine use in patients receiving opioid maintenance treatment 
3. Review strategies when prescribing benzodiazepines for patients receiving opioid maintenance treatment that minimize risks

Benzodiazepine use is common among people who use opioids and may be harmful. We will discuss strategies in the management of patients who use benzodiazepines and ways to minimize harms.

This webinar series has been approved for a maximum 6, AOA Category 1-A CME credits, and AOA designates this for a maximum of 6, AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of the extent of their participation. This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and AOAAM. The AOA is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians

Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 1H79TI083343 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

This webinar has been approved for a maximum 1 AOA Category 1-A CME credits, and AOA designates this for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Tae Woo (Ted) Park, MD Tae Woo Park, MD, MSc, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine. He is an addiction psychiatrist and is the medical director of the ABOVE Program, which aims to treat co-occurring opioid use and mental disorders. He has a NIDA K23 award to study benzodiazepine use in opioid maintenance treatment.

Julie Kmiec, DO, FAOAAM Julie Kmiec, DO, graduated from Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. She completed her general psychiatry residency training and addiction psychiatry fellowship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) in Pittsburgh, PA. She is currently an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She is board certified in general and addiction psychiatry. Dr. Kmiec is the Medical Director of the Ambulatory Detoxification Program and Bridge Clinic, as well as the Narcotic Addiction Treatment Program. Her clinical interests include treatment of drug and alcohol withdrawal, prevention of overdose, and pharmacotherapy for the treatment of addictions. Dr. Kmiec’s research involves training healthcare professionals on the implementation of medications for opioid use disorder. She is the Immediate Past President of the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine.