Ameritox Joins Coalition for Excellence in Medication Monitoring

BALTIMORE, Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameritox^®, the nation's leader in medication monitoring, has become a founding member of the Coalition for Excellence in Medication Monitoring (CEMM). The coalition, consisting of some of the nation's leading medication monitoring companies, was formed to advance clinical treatment and standards of care for patients who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain.

With use of prescription opioids on the rise, it is increasingly important for clinicians to effectively manage the medication adherence of their chronic pain patients. Medication monitoring gives physicians critical information and insight to help them evaluate patient adherence to their pain medication regimens and achieve better outcomes for patients.

The CEMM will play a critical role in helping to develop standards for this evolving industry. Included in its effort will be the development of a Code of Conduct that sets standards for ethical practices in the industry.

"As the pioneer in pain medication monitoring, Ameritox is proud to again be leading the way as a founding member of the CEMM," said Scott Walton, CEO of Ameritox. "This coalition of industry leaders will play a critical role in helping set industry standards that benefit patients, physicians and payors. We fully support the coalition's efforts to advance the science and ethical practices of the medication monitoring industry -- it will strengthen patient care and provide an overall benefit to the nation's healthcare system."

Ameritox provides medication monitoring services that go beyond standard urine drug testing. Ameritox's Rx Guardian^SM  process features Rx Guardian CD^SM, which provides physicians with a tool to compare normalized drug levels in their patients' urine to a database of patients who were clinically assessed as adherent. Ameritox also provides services to help support physicians, patients and the industry in the quest to help manage prescription medication use, misuse, abuse and diversion.

About the Coalition for Excellence in Medication Monitoring
The Coalition for Excellence in Medication Monitoring (CEMM) is a coalition of the nation's leading medication monitoring laboratories dedicated to providing high-quality laboratory tests as part of the standard of care for treatment of the millions of Americans who suffer from debilitating chronic pain. CEMM seeks to educate policy-makers about the value, clinical appropriateness, and cost-effectiveness of medication monitoring laboratory tests. CEMM is also working to ensure that physicians, health care professionals and patients have the best available clinical data to make informed decisions about pain medication utilization and compliance. For more information, visit www.medicationmonitoring.org.

About Ameritox
Ameritox is the nation's leader in Pain Medication Monitoring Solutions^SM, offering specialized laboratory testing and reporting services. Ameritox's expertise and innovative science provide physicians with insights and support to enhance and optimize the care of chronic pain patients. Ameritox offers the most thorough pain medication monitoring lab process – Rx Guardian^SM – with Rx Guardian CD^SM, the only pain medication monitoring process with a proprietary normalization algorithm and a reference database of pain patients clinically assessed for adherence. Patient results are compared against this database, helping physicians assess whether patients are taking their pain medications correctly. Monitoring through prescription drug testing helps physicians make more informed clinical decisions and manage the risks and complexities associated with prescribing pain medications. Ameritox is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. with laboratory facilities in Midland, Texas and Greensboro, N.C. Ameritox can be found online at www.ameritox.com, on Twitter @Ameritox, on Facebook at facebook.com/ameritox, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/ameritox.

© 2013 Ameritox Ltd. All rights reserved. Ameritox, Ameritox-Medication Monitoring Solutions, Rx Guardian, Rx Guardian INSIGHT and Rx Guardian CD are trademarks of Ameritox. Other trademarks are the property of their owners.

SOURCE Ameritox