Real Outcomes: LAMMICO

Improving Community Health

Sharon Cusanza and Nicki Caskey lead the CME team for LAMMICO, a medical professional liability insurer. Their outcomes-focused education has played an important role in significantly reducing opioid prescriptions across Louisiana.

LAMMICO created a three-hour educational activity in response to Louisiana’s Act 76, which requires all healthcare practitioners with Louisiana DEA licenses to complete controlled substance education prior to the renewal of their licenses. What began as a strategic response to policy has grown into a powerful example of how CME can help protect patients and strengthen communities. Two years after the release of LAMMICO’s CME activity, the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy reported that the dispensing of opioid prescriptions in Louisiana decreased significantly from 2.16 million prescriptions in 2017 (before the education) to 1.92 million in 2018 and 1.76 million in 2019.

Sharon offers this advice to CME providers looking to measure impact: “As part of a professional liability company, I couldn’t access patient outcomes directly. But measuring outcomes is easier than you think. A colleague suggested reaching out to the state board of pharmacy, and that data clearly demonstrated the dramatic reduction in opioid prescriptions after LAMMICO launched its program.”