New tools designed to help individual prescribers build safer opioid prescribing habits
Bloomington, Minn. – September 22 , 2024 - Representatives from ICSI announced the introduction of two new tools to help identify and support safer opioid prescribing when pain management is required. The Opioid Prescribing Improvement Guide addresses opioid prescribing for patients with acute, subacute, and chronic pain and is accompanied by the Postoperative Prescribing Toolkit, focused specifically on the initial postoperative discharge and post-acute phase of opioid prescribing. The Toolkit is designed as a companion to the Opioid Prescribing Improvement Guide and can be used by surgical teams to improve safe opioid prescribing.
The new Opioid Prescribing Improvement Guide and Postoperative Prescribing Toolkit are the result of collaborative work of Minnesota healthcare leaders who wanted to provide patient-centered recommendations for safe opioid prescribing practices. Prescribers also needed a way to assess their current prescribing habits and test improvement strategies for safe opioid prescribing. The Postoperative Toolkit was specifically designed for surgeons, who needed guidance to determine safe postop opioid dosages is for specific procedures, as published studies are small and limited, and can’t be broadly applied.
Minnesota’s Department of Health Services (DHS) contracted with ICSI to create tools that could be used by providers to help demonstrate improvement in safe opioid prescribing practices.. Data showing improvements in opioid prescribing habits as a result of ICSI’s work in this area is available on request.
Both the Opioid Prescribing Improvement Guide and Postoperative Prescribing Toolkit are available at no cost to healthcare plans and providers.