The Power of Opioid Prevention and Treatment Series: Starting your opioid stewardship journey

During the past two years, the health care field has been focused on fighting COVID-19…as it should be. Yet at the same time, another crisis surges. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data that shows synthetic opioid fatalities rose by an unprecedented 55% during the pandemic – from September 2019 - September 2020. And according to a national survey conducted in 2020 by the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, only 23% of hospitals have an opioid stewardship program. In this episode, Marie Cleary-Fishman, vice president of clinical quality at the American Hospital Association is joined by Dr. Holly Geyer, internal medicine practitioner sub-specialized in addiction medicine at Mayo Clinic. The discussion: what to do about the surging number of overdose deaths during the pandemic. In this episode, Dr. Geyer will share the importance of establishing an opioid stewardship program no matter the size of your practice, and essential steps, tools and tips to achieving success.