Prince's doctor to appear at American Pain Society conference next week

Prince's team reached out to Kornfeld of Mill Valley, Calif.-based Recovery Without Walls the day before the pop star died, the Associated Press reported. The doctor couldn't immediately fly to Minnesota and instead sent his son Andrew Kornfeld, a consultant with his father's clinic and is a pre-med student, said Kornfeld's lawyer, William Mauzy. Andrew Kornfeld was one of the people who found Prince unresponsive and called 911.

Howard Kornfeld and other medical leaders will give a presentation, "Using Buprenorphine to Mitigate the Major Hazards of Traditional Opiates" at the American Pain Society's gathering, scheduled for May 11-14 in Austin. The doctor has been recognized for his work with buprenorphine, an opiate that advocates say can help addicted patients by offering pain relief with less possibility of overdose and addiction, unlike oxycodone or morphine.

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

"Millions of patients in the United States are dependent on prescription opiates, many at high doses, to treat chronic pain conditions, while countless others in the U.S. and worldwide are suffering from under-treated acute, subacute, and chronic pain," read a post on the Recovery Without Walls Facebook page. " Fortunately, there are safe and effective treatment options for opioid dependency and pain. Dr. Kornfeld is a nationally recognized expert in the use of buprenorphine (the active ingredient in Suboxone or Subutex), a medication used for opiate detoxification, maintenance therapy, and pain management. When acute detoxification treatment is required, we arrange 24-hour nursing care, supervised by Dr. Kornfeld. Treating addiction and pain with medication is only one component of an integrated program, which can also consist of psychotherapy and lifestyle changes."

Prince was found with Percocet pills at the time of his death .