“The opioids-fueled epidemic is clearly already more deadly than the AIDS epidemic ever was,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to The Washington Times on July 8. Although the official 2017 figures won’t be released until the fall, Dr. Redfield said the over-prescription and abuse of painkillers is the “public health crisis of our time,” according to the article.
Reminder: Opioid Management Tools/PDMP Integration Now Available
In April, Houston Methodist took steps to combat the opioid epidemic by becoming the first in the country to leverage Epic to address all 12 CDC recommendations for the prescribing of opioids for chronic pain.
- PCG/Pain Management Providers – with the assistance of Dr. Ezekiel Fink, system medical director of pain management, we’ve created a Pain Management SmartSet that integrates tools in alignment with the CDC’s recommendations. Use of this SmartSet is triggered when the nurse/MA completes a brief pain assessment with the patient. Review this Epic Update for an overview of all opioid management tools available.
- Inpatient and SPG Providers – review this Epic Update to learn how to access Texas Prescription Drug Monitoring Program data directly within Epic.
