Behind the story: Fighting the opioid epidemic through policies, best practices and technology

In July 2018, MGMA released a Research & Analysis report, “Combating the Opioid Epidemic: Effective Policies and Communication Strategies,” focused on insights from practice leaders for best practices regarding educating both staff and patients about prescription policies, as well as technological solutions for better care delivery.

The report built on polling done via MGMA Stat in late 2017 on how practices educate patients on avoiding misuse of opioid prescriptions, and was followed up by a lengthy feature on how the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention has been at the forefront of fighting for patient safety amid the worsening public health emergency.

Robert Valuck, PhD, EPh, FNAP, professor, clinical pharmacy, University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Studies, is also director of the Colorado Consortium and provided numerous insights about the ongoing work to raise public awareness about safe prescription storage and disposal, as well as other issues related to all forms of drug abuse in Colorado.

While many of those insights made their way into the previously published R&A report and feature article, we wanted to bring you more of what Valuck had to say regarding his involvement in the Consortium, the successes the group has seen thus far, the challenges with collecting data and the unique issues that physicians face when using electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS).

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