MEDITECH Addresses Opioid Epidemic, Announces Opioid Stewardship Toolkit

WESTWOOD, Mass., Feb. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- MEDITECH Expanse, the company's interoperable, web-based Enterprise Health Record (EHR), now features an integrated Opioid Stewardship Toolkit that supports the efforts of healthcare organizations to identify high-risk patients, realize safer opioid prescribing, and reduce opioid-related harm. The toolkit was created in response to the rise in opioid overdose deaths, which just surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for Americans, according to the National Safety Council.

"MEDITECH Expanse provides consistency and guidance so that anyone using the Opioid Stewardship Toolkit can appropriately follow CDC guidelines and minimize misuse of opioids, and also minimize the side effects of opioids," stated Upendra Thaker, MD, FIPP, Anesthesiology, Associate CMO, Mount Nittany Medical Center (State College, PA).

Aligned with all 12 CDC recommendations, the Opioid Stewardship Toolkit consists of evidence-and experience-based tools and clinical decision support interventions, along with best practice workflows and educational materials. Some of these features include:

• In-workflow access to state-regulated Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)
• Access to an Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) solution — delivered in collaboration with DrFirst, Forward Advantage, and Imprivata
• An embedded Opioid Risk Tool (ORT), along with physician documentation and chart review tools to support the longitudinal tracking of the patient's opioid use, side effects, pain and functional goals
• Registries for identifying patients who have been prescribed opioids, tracking their compliance with opioid treatment agreements, and following up with patients who are overdue for appointments
• Outcomes monitoring in MEDITECH's Business and Clinical Analytics solution.

Dr. Thaker stated, "When prescribing opioids, you want to assess the risks for the patient from two perspectives. One is the patient's possibility of developing addiction to the opioids being prescribed, and the other is the patient's risk of experiencing respiratory depression. The toolkit will help identify those patients so you can come to the right conclusions and be a safer prescriber."

MEDITECH Expanse has been leveraged by customers like CalvertHealth (Prince Frederick, MD), in conjunction with their opioid stewardship program, to decrease opioid prescriptions in their ED by 26% in just six months. The organization was named Health Quality Innovator of the Year for 2017 for their collaborative Opioid Stewardship Program.

Learn how the MEDITECH Expanse integrated Opioid Stewardship Toolkit operationalizes all 12 CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain.

About MEDITECH
Five decades. One EHR. No limits. More than ever, MEDITECH's reputation for excellence resounds across every care setting. As we celebrate 50 bold years of vision and innovation, we invite you to see healthcare through a whole new lens with Expanse, the premier EHR for the digital healthcare paradigm. Our cutting-edge solutions help organizations and providers all over the world to take on the challenges of healthcare's ever-expanding landscape. Whether your destination is clinical efficiency, analytical prowess, a superior patient and consumer experience, or financial success, MEDITECH's passion and expertise will get you where you want to go. Visit ehr.meditech.com, our Newsroom and Blog, and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to start your journey today. 

Contacts
Paul Berthiaume
Senior Manager, Marketing Communications
MEDITECH
781-774-5742
[email protected]

Liz Carroll
Manager, Public Relations and Media Relations
MEDITECH
781-774-3297
[email protected]

SOURCE MEDITECH

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