The Nuts and Bolts Of Patient/Provider Agreements

In the wake of opioid and heroin addiction, you may be hearing more about patient/provider agreements when it's determined that opioid therapy is in the patient's best interest.  Today's post will provide you with a brief overview of what a patient/provider agreement is, and what you might see in one if opioid therapy is in your future

A patient/provider agreement is simply a contract that these two parties make with each other at the onset of treatment.  This type of contract spells out in detail all of the responsibilities of the health care provider as well as those of the patient.  The contract also spells out what will happen if the terms of the contract are violated by either party.

What are some of the things you might see in a patient/provider agreement? Each provider may be a little bit different, but in general you can expect to see at least some of the following:

Patient Responsibilities:

• Patient agrees to take medication only as prescribed.
• Patient agrees to keep medications in a secure place and does not share with other persons.
• Patient uses one pharmacy exclusively to obtain prescriptions.
• Patient does not obtain pain medication from any other prescribers while contract is in force.
• Patient may be asked to bring prescription vials to prescriber from time to time so that prescriber may physically see how much medication patient has on hand.
• Patient agrees to terms with respect to the keeping of appointments and lab monitoring as per terms of contract.
• Patient agrees to pursue treatment for addiction if this becomes a problem.

Physician Responsibilities:

• Physician agrees to treat patient for pain as long as contract is in force.
• Physician and patient will review and renew contract periodically--perhaps every 6 months during course of treatment.
• Physician will be contacted in case of emergency so that he/she can discuss patient's care plan with emergency medical providers.
• Physician will agree to financial terms as per signed agreement.

You can see an example of this type of agreement by clicking here.

Sources:Washington State Government Web Site; Wikimedia