Faces Of Pain Care

Since the late 1990’s there has been an explosion in the prescribing of opiate pain medication. As a result of advocacy programs such as treating pain as the “Fifth Vital Sign” and aggressive marketing by the pharmaceutical industry, the number of prescriptions has tripled from 76 million in 1991 to 219 million in 2011 (Vector One National). Listen as Chris Johnson, MD, walks you through his journey and experience with the opiate epidemic in the United States. Dr. Johnson works with the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement on their Pain Management Work Group, which develops evidence-based guidelines for treating pain applicable to all specialties. He is also a member of the Minnesota Medical Association’s Board of Trustees. Chris Johnson received his medical training at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, VA, graduating in 2000 and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center in 2003. He has been practicing in the Twin Cities for the last 13 ye