Kevin M. Passer, M.D. FAPA, FASAM was recently awarded the distinction of Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Passer is also a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Medical doctors have various levels of certifications. Most of the public sees different initials and letters following a doctor’s printed name, but few really understand what the letters mean. Here is a brief explanation.
In order for a physician to be “Board Certified,” he or she must have first completed at least twelve years of education and training (after high school). The first four years are to obtain an Undergraduate degree, like a Bachelors of Art or Bachelors of Science, from a college or university. Four years of Medical School follows graduation from college and the person is then awarded the degree Doctor of Medicine or M.D. Then the physician must complete between four and nine years of “on the job” training, known as a Residency, in the area of medicine in which the person wants to specialize. A certified residency program is where a doctor learns how to be, say for example, a Family Practitioner or a Dermatologist or a Heart Surgeon or a Radiologist. There are about 20 different medical specialties. (Dr. Passer specializes in Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine.)
After all of that, the doctor must pass a test to demonstrate competency and proficiency, usually consisting of both an oral and written examination conducted by doctors already certified in the particular specialty. Once the physician passes, he or she is deemed Board Certified in the specialty. Being Board Certified tells the public that the doctor has done all of the things above. Dr. Passer is Triple Board Certified.
The highest level of recognition is what is known as being a Fellow. A Fellow is a Board Certified physician who has also demonstrated excellence in clinical practice and care of patients, over an extended period of time, like for five or ten years. A doctor can only become a Fellow by being recommended and voted upon on by other Fellows of the specialty.
Dr. Passer is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association or FAPA and, as of 2017 is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine or FASAM. He is Board Certified in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, (following completion of a Residency Program at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Hospital in Baltimore), Board Certified in General Adult Psychiatry and Board Certified in Addiction Medicine.
Since 2005, Dr. Passer has owned and operated The Drug and Alcohol Detox Clinic of South Mississippi. He has special expertise and extensive experience in the treatment of patients with Opiate Addiction, also known as Opiate Use Disorder; utilizing the medication Buprenorphine (Suboxone). In fact, Dr. Passer is one of 70 National Mentors of the Physician Clinical Support System, and teaches other doctors about the best practices using Buprenorphine, as part of a treatment program known as Harm Reduction, to help deal with the horrible Opiate Crisis facing our country. Over 100 people die every day from unintentional opiate overdoses. Harm Reduction for Opiate Use Disorder is a treatment model involving Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) to reduce the cravings for opiates, thus reducing and preventing fatal overdoses. MAT is also called Substitution Treatment.
There are two main goals for the Harm Reduction model in the treatment of Opiate Use Disorder. The first is to not die from an overdose. The second goal is to have an improvement in the patient’s overall functioning. This is accomplished by trying to “convert” an addict into a patient, using the medication Buprenorphine as a substitute for the opiate(s) the person was abusing; while the patient is under the regular care of a physician who has special training and is certified to prescribe Buprenorphine.
Harm Reduction is not the only treatment option for Opiate Use Disorder. The other option is called: Abstinence. Abstinence is exactly what it sounds like, and it means that the addict does not take any type of Substitution or Medication Assisted Treatment with Buprenorphine. Rather, the individual attends meetings and, generally, just “toughs it out.” The main problem with the Abstinence based model is that after a person takes high doses of Opiates over a long period of time, the person builds up a “tolerance.” This is due to the development of many additional “Opiate Receptors.” The addict essentially damages their brain, and when they try and stop taking Opiates, they experience severe cravings and preoccupations for more Opiates.
Opiate Addicts practicing Abstinence relapse and die at a rate more than double that of those receiving MAT as part of a Harm Reduction program. As such, MAT is at least twice as effective in preventing deaths from opiates as the Abstinence based model. Dr. Passer is an advocate and proponent of the Harm Reduction model for the treatment of Opiate Use Disorder.
Dr. Passer is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine is now a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is accepting new patients with Opiate Use Disorder. Dr. Passer also provides Psychiatric Evaluations and Treatment Plans for individuals of all ages. To make an appointment to see Dr. Passer, call: 601-261-9101.
For more information: www.TheDrugandAlcoholDetoxClinic.com.
Press Release Contact :
Company: The Drug and Alcohol Detox Clinic of South Mississippi
Address: 5317 Old Hwy 11
City: Hattiesburg
State: MS
Zip code: 39402
Telephone number: (601) 261-9101