Cannabis Patient Care - March/April 2021

Cannabis Patient Care - March/April 2021

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23 cannapatientcare.com march/april 2021 | cannabis patient care nurse focus health histor y to see what they have tried in the past, what worked, what didn't work, what helped their condition, what made their condition worse, medications they may currently be taking, and so much more. Drinking alcohol, water intake, and diet are also factors that play a role in regulating your endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is impor tant to detail because the ECS is where cannabinoid receptors are located and play a role in how the body processes the cannabinoids found in cannabis (5). Theisen also likes to have this infor- mation aside from the benef it of the ECS, because as great as cannabis can be, it isn't a silver bullet or cure-all treat- ment. There are often multiple factors needed to help man- age chronic pain. Unfortunately, insurance companies and the government do not offer financial assistance plans or discounts to medi- cal cannabis users because of its scheduling. For patients who are beginning to research their treatment options with Theis- en, all hope is not lost. Her patients are able to get reimbursed for their visits if they have a health savings account (HSA). This may be an option a patient can use with other healthcare pro- fessionals involved with cannabis. Theisen remained hopeful that this may be an area in the healthcare industry that chang- es in the future. For a patient to have everything be out of pocket, it definitely puts a financial strain on them. Cannabis has a stigma around it, which makes insurance companies un- comfortable to cover it. Theisen stated that it should be a pa- tients choice to use their coverage for what they feel is best for their chronic pain, whether that is medical cannabis or opioids. Insurance companies still view the medicinal plant as a drug of abuse, though this plant has various therapeutic properties and should be viewed as a means to provide a patient with a higher quality of life. Cannabis Resources for Patients and Healthcare Professionals Aside from meeting with chronic pain patients, Theisen is also the cofounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Radicle Health (6), which is an education and training company that she cofounded with Timothy Byars. Radicle's mission is to educate healthcare professionals on the benefits of medical cannabis for various health conditions. Theisen explained that the lack of education out there is by far one of the biggest gaps in the industry at this moment. Without the education, consumers also aren't educated. There is a lot of misinforma- tion spreading as well. Radicle uses evidence-based research and compiles it into different levels of education that can be purchased by a healthcare professional or the consumer but is geared more heavily in the science category. Theisen men- tioned that their goal is to standardize education and training so that patients, consumers, healthcare professionals, and the general public as well as policy holders are all provided with the same information to try and bring change to the stigma and increase safe access. The Radicle Health Clinician Network is Theisen's practice with Dr. David Ferrera located in California. This is where she sees patients who are solely looking to use cannabis as a treatment, helping them to develop a treatment plan that is focused towards cannabinoid therapies, and work in collaboration with other healthcare professionals to reach their goals. Referrals are not required to meet with Theisen because all fees are out of pocket. Theisen is also president of the American Cannabis Nurses Association (ACNA) which celebrated their 10-year anniversa- ry last year. The mission of the ACNA is to advance excellence in cannabis nursing practice through advocacy, collaboration, education, research, and policy development. In the last year and her first year as president, Theisen worked on increasing some of the committee work that the organization was lack- ing. They had an education and research committee as well as Barbara Ochester and Theisen at the ACNA conference in 2019. LEFT TO RIGHT: Eileen Konienczny, Theisen, Erin Carey, Greg Gerdeman, Alice O'Leary Randall, and Dustin Sulak enjoying a nice dinner at the 2019 ACNA confernece.

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