What normally happens when they test a persons urine at a Pain Management Clinic?
Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at
12:43 pm
Do they just test it at the office? Do they write down the last time the person took their medications? If they say the test was fine, do they still send it off for more testing? Why would a person have to initial the urine cup?
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Tagged with: last time • medications
Filed under: Pain Management
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Pain management clinics use urine drug screens to make sure that the patient is actually taking the medication that has been prescribed to them, as well as to make sure they are not taking other medications that have not been prescribed or using illegal street drugs like pot. Some clinics will only test for the presence of certain substances in the urine and that is all, but there are doctors that send the samples off to labs to have levels of each drug checked. You have to initial the cup once it is sealed because this is how the lab will know if the urine has been altered after you gave the sample. It is also a way that allows them to test the urine and bill your insurance. There are new drug testing cups for pain management doctors that I used for the first time at my last appointment. There is a small strip along the bottom that has twelve panels and can distinguish between the different types of opiates, like hydrocodone or oxycodone, right in the office. The doctor can also send these cups off to the lab to find out what the concentrations of each of the drugs was when you gave your sample. It is a way that they can be reasonably assured that the patient is taking their medication as prescribed and they usually get the results back within 48-72 hours.
PM doctors have to test their patients because there are some that do not even use the medication being prescribed because they sell it, and there are also people who use several doctors at once to get multiple prescriptions for opiates. If a patient’s drug test comes back positive for oxycodone when the doctor only prescribes hydrocodone, then they will usually have that patient discharged from their office. If you refuse to take the drug test, they will have you discharged immediately and will not see you again. They have to cover their butts against abuse of the system, and lots of people try to abuse it. The rules are getting very rigid now though since the DEA requires additional documentation be kept on every patient in pain management programs that receives opiate pain medications.
Most urine test that are tested in a clinic is that they are testing the Ph value of the urine. Others test can be checked such as alcohol, drugs, and if there is any blood in the urine. You initial the urine cup so that they will not get your urine mixed up with someone elses speciman.
Often when dropped at a Pain Clinic they suspect you are using other drugs (illegal) or more then they prescribe. No you don’t have to initial the cup. The pain management doctor can fire you at any time. If you have screwed up in any way IT is always better to own up IF you want to keep the doctor. God Bless Reggie