Opioid Safety

Atlantic Quality Improvement Network (AQIN) Drug Safety Priority: Opiate Safety

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have awarded a 5-year contract to the Atlantic Quality Improvement Network (AQIN) to advance CMS healthcare priorities in the states of New York, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. Led by IPRO (NY) and leveraging the expertise of the Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (SC) and Delmarva Foundation (DC), AQIN seeks to reduce preventable adverse drug events (ADEs) due to high risk drugs, including hypoglycemics, anticoagulants, and opiates.

Reducing Opiate-Related ADEs

Recent evidence suggests that patients suffering from acute and chronic pain often receive suboptimal clinical care, and adverse events associated with opiate analgesics are common. While some centers provide exceptional care and clinical “best practices” have been identified, variability among healthcare providers persists and there remains much room for improvement.

IPRO and its AQIN partners invite you and your organization to participate in collaborative efforts to reduce ADEs due to opiate analgesics:

Pain Management Coalition: This multidisciplinary group seeks to increase awareness of pain management priorities, provide professional networking opportunities, align existing improvement efforts, develop and disseminate educational resources and clinical tools, and promote clinical research and publications relating to opiate analgesics. Professionals from all care settings, academia, and industry are welcome to join and participate in the Coalition through:

• Quarterly teleconferences across NY, SC, and DC (“Full Coalition Calls”)
• Steering Committee meetings (by invitation, identify priorities and charge Task Forces)
• Task Force teleconferences (smaller groups seeking to accomplish tangible, short-term goals, such as development of a needed clinical practice guide)

To learn more about participating in the AQIN Pain Management Coalition contact:
Anne Myrka, Director, Drug Safety, IPRO at anne.myrka@area-I.hcqis.org

Clinical Collaboration: AQIN partner organizations can also provide complementary technical assistance directly to healthcare systems and providers in the regions that they serve. As agents of CMS, IPRO and the AQIN partners may obtain and analyze private health information and access Medicare claims data to guide improvement efforts. Services include: data aggregation and analysis, root cause analysis, serial quality reports, and on-site consultations to facilitate rapid cycle quality improvement activities.

Resources

• Prescription Drug Monitoring Program State Videos
• Pain Management (Joint Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs) Education Program
• CDC Rx Awareness Campaign Overview: Addressing the Prescription Opioid Crisis
  • Rx Awareness resources