All posts in category Opioid Crisis

What Role Can Health IT Play When an Epidemic Meets a Pandemic?

By David Bucciferro (Foothold Technology), co-chair of the EHRA and the Opioid Task Force, and Renee Han (Epic), Opioid Task Force member

Over the past several years, community service and health professionals have fought hard to gain ground in the battle against the opioid epidemic. From 2017 until 2020, the number of patients receiving buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone – common medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) – consistently increased as more patients at risk for OUD and overdose were identified and treated, according to a report from Epic Research. 

First-time MOUD, buprenorphine, and naltrexone patients over time. Solid colored capsules show the last observed value. Dashed outline capsules show the predicted value for May 2020. (Source: Epic Research.)

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by EHR Association on July 20, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in Opioid Crisis, Uncategorized
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Posted by EHR Association on July 20, 2022

https://ehrablog.org/2022/07/20/what-role-can-health-it-play-when-an-epidemic-meets-a-pandemic/

Because COVID-19 Didn’t Erase the Opioid Crisis… How Health IT Can Support Opioid Tapering Plans

Screen Shot 2020-05-18 at 6.37.00 PMThe COVID-19 crisis started to consume the United States just as it had been turning the corner on the most severe chapter of the opioid crisis. Opioid prescribing rates and drug overdose rates both remain distressingly high, and some patients on opioids are more vulnerable to impacts from COVID-19. At the same time, for patients with severe chronic pain, opioids are clinically indicated, and provide meaningful relief from a life of constant pain that could otherwise be debilitating. For these individuals, prescribers are often challenged with adhering to CDC guidelines and state laws that limit opioid use while effectively treating pain, and this is especially true for patients who have been treated with higher doses of opioids for extended periods of time. 

The EHR Association’s Opioid Crisis Task Force has written a white paper to comment on the role that health information technologies, including EHRs, can play in assisting physicians with responsible opioid tapering.
(more…)

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by EHR Association on May 20, 2020  •  Permalink
Posted in COVID-19, Opioid Crisis, Patient Safety and Health IT, Uncategorized, Value of HIT

Posted by EHR Association on May 20, 2020

https://ehrablog.org/2020/05/20/how-health-it-can-support-opioid-tapering-plans/

Standardizing Data Collection to Support Clinicians in the Opioid Fight

By David Bucciferro and Katelyn Fontaine
EHRA Opioid Crisis Task Force 

Dataset Infographic

Click here to open image in new window.

Volunteers on EHRA’s Opioid Crisis Task Force have made great strides in the past year in our efforts to identify the policy changes and adoption patterns needed to maximize the capacities of health IT to combat the opioid crisis.

From the start, our focus has been, What do providers need from technology to support their efforts in the opioid crisis?

When we began our work in early 2018, we were surprised to find that there was no comprehensive source for the state-specific policies and standards surrounding prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS). So, we set out to create our own.

State by state, we collected data, including timeframes for reporting controlled substance prescriptions to PDMPs, what data is collected, which professionals are able to access PDMP information, if and when information can be shared across states, and any limits on retaining PDMP data within an EHR.

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by EHR Association on February 20, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in Interoperability, Opioid Crisis, Public Policy and Health IT, Usability and Clinician Experience

Posted by EHR Association on February 20, 2019

https://ehrablog.org/2019/02/20/standardizing-data-collection-to-support-clinicians-in-the-opioid-fight/

How EHR Technology Can Support Best Practices for Opioid Prescribing

By Dan Seltzer and Alan Staples
Co-chairs, Clinician Impact Subgroup, EHRA Opioid Crisis Task Force

screenshot_2018-12-26 ehra cdc opioid guideline implementation guide for ehrs - ehra-cdc-opioid-guideline-implementation-gu[...]The widespread opioid epidemic and its devastating effects flood our news feeds daily. No one is immune, which is why when the Electronic Health Record Association (EHRA) asked for volunteers to join a new Opioid Crisis Task Force, we and many others – including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists – stepped forward to share our experiences and expertise. For the past year, we have been conducting research and providing recommendations on new ways EHR technology can contribute solutions to help solve the complex puzzle of the opioid crisis.

Our most recent contribution is the CDC Opioid Guideline – Implementation Guide for Electronic Health Records.

Initial research and conversations with providers focused on the question, What do providers need from technology to support their efforts in the opioid crisis?  The input we received led us to develop a guide to assist healthcare organizations implement clinical practice guidelines within the EHR to improve opioid stewardship in clinical practice.   (more…)

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by EHR Association on January 9, 2019  •  Permalink
Posted in Opioid Crisis, Patient Safety and Health IT, Usability and Clinician Experience, Value of HIT

Posted by EHR Association on January 9, 2019

https://ehrablog.org/2019/01/09/how-ehr-technology-can-support-best-practices-for-opioid-prescribing/

Coming Soon: Guide to Implementing CDC Opioid Rx Guidelines Within the EHR

By the Clinical Impact Subgroup, 
EHRA Opioid Crisis Task Force

CDC opioid guide image
During National Health IT Week, we celebrate and take pride in the value that health information and technology has brought to patients and their healthcare providers. We also look ahead to new benefits that health IT can bring.

EHRA is committed to bringing together forward-looking experts from among our 34 member companies to collaborate on solving industry challenges. In 2018, we formed an Opioid Crisis Task Force to research and provide recommendations on ways EHR technology can help with solving the complex puzzle of the opioid crisis.   (more…)

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by EHR Association on October 12, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Opioid Crisis, Patient Safety and Health IT, Usability and Clinician Experience, Value of HIT

Posted by EHR Association on October 12, 2018

https://ehrablog.org/2018/10/12/coming-soon-guide-to-implementing-cdc-opioid-rx-guidelines-within-the-ehr/

Final IPPS Rule Ignores EHR Developer Concerns–Includes Impossible Measures, Will Lead to Increased Clinician Burden

By Sasha TerMaat
EHRA Vice Chair

IPPS blogOn August 2, 2018, CMS published the 2600-page pre-publication version of the 2019 IPPS Final Rule. EHRA members have begun digging into the Promoting Interoperability/Meaningful Use program, hoping to see changes based on their public comments on the proposed rule released in May. While we’re glad to see the requirement for 2015 CEHRT in 2019 confirmed, overall we’re disappointed that CMS failed to respond to many of EHRA’s comments as well as other stakeholder feedback.

In releasing the final rule less than six weeks after the public comment period closed (during which it received 1,058 comments), CMS appears to have rushed what should have been a thoughtful process. Several measures will be infeasible to program. Other measures will result in additional burden on clinicians, solely for the purpose of measurement rather than improved patient care.
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by EHR Association on August 8, 2018  •  Permalink
Posted in Delivery System Reform, Health IT Regulation, Health IT Standards, Opioid Crisis, Usability and Clinician Experience

Posted by EHR Association on August 8, 2018

https://ehrablog.org/2018/08/08/final-ipps-rule-ignores-ehr-developer-concerns-includes-impossible-measures-will-lead-to-increased-clinician-burden/

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