October 21 & 22, 2019; Hilton New Orleans Riverside – New Orleans, Louisiana

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) held a Practitioner Diversion Awareness Conference (PDAC) on October 21 & 22, 2019 in New Orleans, LA. This was a one-day conference, repeated on the second day, for the convenience of the practitioner community. The conference was developed and designed to address the growing problem of diversion of pharmaceutical controlled substances throughout the United States. In addition to pharmacy robberies and thefts, pharmaceutical controlled substances are often diverted by way of forged prescriptions, doctor shoppers, or illegitimate prescriptions from rogue practitioners. The objective of this conference was to educate healthcare professionals on ways to address and respond to potential diversion activity.

There were 396 veterinarians, dentists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners in attendance. The conference attendees received approximately seven hours of instruction on a variety of topics. The presentations included: The Opioid Epidemic and the Practice of Legitimate Medicine; Drugs of Abuse and Trends; Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, Health Professionals Program; Prescriptions for Controlled Substances; Methods of Diversion and Effective Controls for Controlled Substances; Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners; Inventories, Records, and Reports; Disposal, Return of Patient Meds., and Options for Patients; Registration Issues; Telemedicine; Training & Resources; and State of Louisiana Prescription Monitoring Program.

Selected presentations from the New Orleans, Louisiana PDAC are available below.

The Opioid Epidemic and the Practice of Legitimate Medicine – Aziz Elkholy, Acting Chief, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Drugs of Abuse and Trends – Antonio Guzman, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, Health Professionals Program – Lawrence Cresswell, III, DO, JD, Director of Investigations

Prescriptions for Controlled Substances – Paula Albert, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Methods of Diversion and Effective Controls for Controlled Substances – Aziz Elkholy, Acting Chief, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners – Warren Rivera, Lead Investigator/Enforcement

Inventories, Records, and Reports – Marsha L.D. Ikner, Staff Coordinator, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Disposal, Return of Patient Meds, and Options for Patients – Marsha L.D. Ikner, Staff Coordinator, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Registration Issues – Paula Albert, Staff Coordinator, Liaison, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Telemedicine – Antonio Guzman, Associate Section Chief, Liaison Section, Diversion Control Division, DEA

Training & Resources – Alan Clesi & David Gauthreaux, Tactical Diversion Squad, New Orleans Division, DEA

State of Louisiana Prescription Monitoring Program – Malcolm J. Broussard, Executive Director, Louisiana Board of Pharmacy