Opioid Use Treatment & Resources

As a clinician, you strive to provide the best evidence-based, patient-centered care to your patients. MaineHealth wants to provide you with up-to-date information about current Maine prescribing laws and MaineHealth guidelines, as well as tools to help you address chronic pain, safe opioid prescribing, diagnosis and treatment of opioid use disorder. The information on this page is here to offer you resources and support.

NEW: Earn CEU Credits

MaineHealth is pleased to offer two new provider education modules. Upon completion, 0.50 CME hours are available for each training (AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits). Click "View Module" to skip the CME credit process.

Module 1: Naloxone - Reducing Risk and Saving Lives

Recognize who is at highest risk of overdose
Describe the signs and symptoms of opioid overdose
Compare and contrast use of various naloxone formulations
Review how to talk to patients about their overdose risk and offer naloxone
Detail the tools in Epic that relate to naloxone prescribing

Module 2: Difficult Conversations with Your Patient

Express concerns that they may have an opioid use disorder
Discuss tapering their chronic opioid pain regimen
Address unexpected urine drug screen results
Discuss the safety of MAT and alleviating any fears
Address concerns around opioid use during pregnancy, including DHHS reporting

Chronic Pain & Safe Opioid Prescribing

MaineHealth Controlled Substances Agreement

Maine Medical Partners Informed Consent for Opioid Prescriptions

CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain

Maine Quality Counts Chronic Pain Playbook Resources

Maine Medical Association Maine Independent Clinical Information Service

Diagnosis & Treatment of OUD

American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) National Practice Guideline for the Use of Medications in the Treatment of Addiction Involving Opioid Use

Maine Snuggle Me Guidelines

The ASAM Appropriate Use of Drug Testing In Clinical Addiction Medicine

Services Offered Through Maine Behavioral Healthcare

Opioid CME & Trainings

Online Learning Modules:

Earn your CME credit needed for Public Law- 488/BOLIM requirement

Maine Quality Counts: Caring for ME- offers 6 webinar modules at 1.5 CME credits each
Provider’s Clinical Support System for Opioid Therapies (PCSS-O)- offers 11 modules at 1 AMA credit for each
Safe & Competent Opioid Prescribing Education (SCOPE* of Pain)-offers 2 AMA PRA Category 1 credits and 2 MOC Part II credits (*You need to be registered to Scope and there may be a cost)
American Society of Addiction Medicine -23 modules opportunities with varying credits available:
National Institute on Drug Abuse-8 hour online buprenorphine waiver training has 10 modules. Earn up to 9 AMA PRA Category 1 credits at a cost:
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion offers “Pathways to Safer Opioid Use”- This is a 1-hour long course, offering 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit:

Co-occurring Collaborative Serving Maine:

View upcoming events and training opportunities

About the Guidelines

The clinical guidelines and policies on this page assist clinicians in standardizing the evaluation, diagnosis, and care of patients, with the goal of achieving optimal outcomes. The guidelines translate national recommendations and the best available evidence into local context.

Adherence to these guidelines should limit unwanted or unintended variation in practice, but guidelines are not meant to be prescriptive. The clinician retains the responsibility to select the appropriate guideline for a particular patient and to use the guideline to the extent that it serves the individual patient.

Any given approach must be carefully considered with each individual patient to ensure that an effective Shared Decision Making process is in place, which reflects the patient's personal wishes, medical history, and family history.