Pain medications

Our providers care a great deal about your health and well-being and they know that the control of acute and chronic pain is an important part of your care.  There are a variety of ways to deal with pain including physical therapy, application of heat and/or cold packs, and NSAIDs (anti-steroidal pain medications like ibuprofen).  Opioid medications are also often prescribed to relieve pain.  Opioids are medications like Percocet (oxycodone), Norco (hydrocodone), morphine, and fentanyl.

Opioids can be very effective in relieving pain, but as we've all been hearing in the news, there can be issues with overuse, abuse, and even overdose.  Prescription opioids have become a street drug that are sold to those who use them illegally.  

In order to ensure that our patients are using these medications safely, Blue River Family Medicine has developed a policy that describes your responsibilities regarding your prescriptions.  You will be required to sign a pain treatment agreement which you can download at the bottom of this page.

Text of Policy

Each patient that requires a controlled substance must be seen by a provider at the Practice:

  • Patient must keep and be on time for each appointment
  • Patient must be willing to participate in all other types of treatment they are asked to participate in

Patient must sign Pain Treatment with Opioid Medications Agreement for controlled substance prescription to be filled/refilled.

  • Contract must be signed by both patient and PCP to fill/refill controlled substance prescriptions
  • Contract will be reviewed regularly by PCP

Prescription refills are considered the patient's responsibility

  • Patients must make appointment for refill requests, and keep and be on time to those appointments
  • Patients must notify PCP a week prior to their prescription running out
  • Patients must understand that a refill request made by a patient without advanced warning or an appointment will not be treated as an emergency by the Practice
  • Patients should not call the Practice between appointments, at night, or on weekends, looking for refills
  • Prescriptions will be filled only during scheduled office visits with the treatment team