A graduate of George Washington University in Washington, DC, Gary J. Sprouse, MD, has served as a physician in private practice for more than three decades. Outside of his professional pursuits, Gary J. Sprouse, MD, is a member of several organizations, including the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). In an effort to improve the quality of addiction treatment, ASAM holds a variety of educational events for health care professionals and the public. For nearly 50 years, the organization has been hosting an annual meeting that attracts physicians, clinicians, and researchers, as well as students, scholars, and policymakers. ASAM is currently preparing for its 49th Annual Conference, which will take place from April 12-15, 2018, in San Diego, California. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the event to participate in an educational program comprised of courses, lectures, workshops, and off-site learning sessions. Attendees will have an opportunity to earn continuing medical education credits as they learn about the latest research, treatments, and policy developments in addiction medicine. ASAM's conference will also include an exhibit hall and several networking activities. ASAM members and non-members who register before February 12, 2018 can save $100 off the regular rate. After February 12, rates will increase to $429 for ASAM members and $529 for non-members. For more information, visit www.asam.org.
Gary J. Sprouse, MD, has served as a primary care physician at Queen Anne’s Medical Center in Chester, Maryland, for more than three decades. Over the years, Gary J. Sprouse, MD, has developed close professional affiliations with multiple health-care-industry organizations, including the American Association of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP).A leading group of psychiatric professionals and academics, the AAAP supports and advocates for its members in a variety of ways. It also provides a wide range of education and training opportunities, including a course entitled Addictions and Their Treatment. Specific topics covered in this course include subjects such as forensic issues in addiction, psychosocial addiction treatments, and gender differences in substance use disorders. Physician assistants who successfully complete the Addictions and Their Treatment course are eligible for 20 self-assessment credits as part of the Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) program, as recognized by both the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Nurse practitioners can receive 20 Category 1 CME credits, as recognized by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
A primary care physician, Gary J. Sprouse, MD, is actively involved in the treatment of alcohol and opioid dependence. Based in Chester, Maryland, Gary J. Sprouse, MD, is a member of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society, an organization that is working to control Maryland’s opioid addiction problem. In 2015, MedChi partnered with local organizations to enroll the state’s physicians in a program to continuously monitor the prescription of drugs containing dangerous controlled substances. The program has been running for the last two years. In addition to monitoring prescriptions, MedChi has been delivering Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits on opioid issues to physicians all over the state. Today, every physician in the state of Maryland has received at least one credit on opioid-related issues.These initiatives are beginning to bear fruit. A recent study by QuintilesIMS, in partnership with the American Medical Association, revealed that between 2013 and 2016, Maryland’s opioid prescriptions reduced by 13.3 percent from 4,229,380 to 3,664,825. In addition, over the four-year period, the state has continuously prescribed fewer opioids than the national average. In 2016, physicians in the state prescribed 0.06 opioids per capita, which was lower than the national average of 0.07 per capita.
