Adventist Health System hospitals participate in national pilot to improve opioid safety

Four Adventist Health System hospitals joined the Safer Post-operative Pain Management pilot to test and redesign new care delivery processes to better manage pain and the potential for drug addiction. The Safer Post-operative Pain Management pilot is offered through the Premier Inc. Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (HIIN).

Florida Hospital East Orlando, Metroplex Adventist Hospital, Park Ridge Health and Rollins Brook Community Hospital joined more than 30 industry-leading hospitals in the effort to improve post-operative pain management from September 2017 through March 2018. The American Society of Anesthesiologists was also a key performance improvement partner in the initiative.

'Adventist Health System is proud to participate in a program that is proactively addressing opioid misuse at such a critical point in time,' said Kathleen Clem, MD, executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Adventist Health System. 'We look forward to working with Premier HIIN member hospitals on evidence-based initiatives to further improve pain management practices and opioid safety across the communities we serve.'

The data-driven pilot initially focused on adult patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty, and colectomy surgical procedures. The program sought to help participants redesign their existing care practices with safer pain management strategies. This included partnering with patients and families on pain management expectations, as well as education on the safe use, storage and disposal of opioids. Clinicians at each hospital also receive education on appropriate opioid risk screening, prescribing, dispensing and administration.

The Safer Post-operative Pain Management pilot supported hospitals by providing virtual and onsite technical assistance from industry-leading experts; systematic planning for performance improvement; real-time data collection; the use of standardized process, outcome, harm and cost avoidance measures; peer-to-peer learning; and continuous monitoring, evaluation and refinement of implemented strategies to drive results.

'Opioid addiction is an increasing problem across our communities and the epidemic has been called on by the White House as a national priority,' said Blair Childs, senior vice president of public affairs at Premier. 'To find solutions, we must test and redesign care models for measurable approaches to continuous improvement that ensure professionals are trained based on what the evidence has proven to work. Premier is thrilled to be working with Adventist Health System, an outstanding leader helping to create new pain management strategies in our ongoing effort to reduce adverse drug events, dependence and addiction.'

Oftentimes, opioid addiction can begin with a single prescription following a medical procedure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999 leading to more than 183,000 deaths.