J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 3
W
hy should a breast biopsy patient receive the
same amount of opioids as someone who's had
both knees replaced? That one-size-fits-all
approach to pain management has contributed to
the nation's current opioid crisis — surgeons
have been flying blind, often writing oversized scripts based on habit
or opinion. What if your physicians had a guideline for how many opi-
oids to prescribe for a particular procedure? Many say proscriptive
prescribing would limit the number of unused and unneeded pills that
continue to fuel the epidemic.
A prominent leader in that charge is Chad Brummett, MD, co-direc-
tor of the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (OPEN),
a program launched in 2016 with support from the Michigan
Department of Health and Human Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Standardized Scripts
For Every Surgery
Tailoring pill counts to procedure type will right-size
your post-op opioid prescriptions.
Joe Paone | Senior Associate Editor
• MORE WITH LESS The nation's crisis has caused providers and facilities to figure out how to manage pain with far fewer opioids.
