GREEN BAY — JAMA Network Open is shining a spotlight on impactful research on opioids in the primary care setting conducted by Bellin Health and Bellin Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator Andy Cohen, in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Implementation Science & Engineering Lab. Their article “Strategies to Deimplement Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care” is being released today in the journal’s latest edition.
The article details a trial that evolved from a change framework strategy that was widely shared in the news media, leading to two five-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants totaling nearly $5 million to implement interventions for preventing and treating substance misuse in primary care. Those grant funds were used to design what is now referred to as the Balanced Opioid Initiative, which was published at the onset of COVID-19.
The results of the trial were clear. Providing meaningful clinic- and prescriber-level deimplementation strategies may help healthcare systems take positive steps toward reducing reliance on opioid medications for chronic pain management in primary care. In the Bellin Region, a collaboration between pharmacists and provider experts led the charge as change management leaders. The direct work Bellin Health did to address opioid prescribing can be used as a framework for others, Cohen said.
“That being said, the opioid crisis is not over,” he said. “We expect our work to continue to help guide not only our region but others across the country as we overcome this challenge together.”
The article’s publication marks a milestone for Bellin’s involvement at the forefront of opioid stewardship (efforts to ensure the safe and appropriate use of opioids) for the last nine years. What started as a connection through Bellin’s AboutHealth partnership with the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and clinics in 2015 led to a greater collaborative research relationship.