Advisory
Prescription Drug Abuse
Behavioral Health Key Issue: Prescription Drug Abuse
Addressing the Opioid Epidemic
AHA Opioid Toolkit
Stem the Tide: Addressing the Opioid Epidemic (October 2017)
Latest AHA News
Report calls for national strategy to reduce drug, alcohol and suicide deaths (November 21, 2017)
FDA approves device to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms (November 15, 2017)
Physician leaders share key strategies for addressing prescription opioid crisis (November 8, 2017)
HHS to keep funding formula same for state opioid grant program (November 6, 2017)
President's opioid commission issues final report (November 1, 2017)
New CMS waiver policy aims to expand Medicaid treatments for SUDs (November 1, 2017)
OCR issues HIPAA guidance for providers responding to opioid crisis (October 30, 2017)
President declares opioid epidemic a national public health emergency (October 26, 2017)
House panel assesses agencies' progress in implementing opioid laws (October 25, 2017)
AHA toolkit offers guidance to help hospitals address opioid epidemic (October 24, 2017)
Dozens of House members testify at hearing on opioid crisis (October 11, 2017)
AHA recommends federal actions to address opioid crisis (October 5, 2017)
Tackling the opioid crisis in a rural community (September 27, 2017)
AHA comments on draft recommendations to address opioid crisis (September 22, 2017)
ISMP releases medication safety self-assessment tool (September 21, 2017)
FDA issues medication-assisted treatment guidance (September 21, 2017)
NAM issues guide to help clinicians counter opioid epidemic (September 21, 2017)
HHS awards grants to expand access to opioid disorder treatment (September 18, 2017)
CDC awards $28 million to help states fight opioid overdoses (September 6, 2017)
CDC: Illicit opioids key contributor to overdose deaths (September 5, 2017)
Looking for more AHA NEWS related to the opioid epidemic? Click here to visit the news archive.
Looking for recent AHA LETTERS, ADVISORIES, and BULLETINS on the opioid epidemic? Click here.
Executive Dialogue Series, Webinars, and Conference Calls
Improving Care for Hospitalized Adults with Substance Use Disorder - understanding needs, engaging leaders, and changing systems (November 9, 2017)
Catholic Medical Center's Aggressive Response to the Opioid Epidemic, Manchester, N.H.(August 8, 2017)
Substance Use Prevention: How to Make it Work in Your Community (January 19, 2017)
Morrison County’s Success in Combating Prescription Drug Abuse (December 13, 2016)
Essentia Health’s COAT Program Reduces Opioid Addiction (November 16, 2016)
The Addiction Crisis: A Community's Response (October 2016)
Our Community Responds to the Opiate Epidemic: Hospitals & Health Systems Impacting the Opiate Crisis (July 2016)
The Safe Passage Initiative: Hospitals & Health Systems Impacting the Opiate Crisis (May 2016)
Looking for more CONFERENCE CALLS AND WEBINARS? Click here.
AHA Members in Action
Boston Medical Center - Making Sure Patients Who Need Opioid Meds for Pain Use Them Effectively (November 9, 2017)
Improving Addiction Care Team (IMPACT) Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) (October 2017)
Improving the Hospital and Emergency Department Response to Substance Use Disorders: A Project ASSERT Case Study (October 2017)
Bridgton Hospital -- Tackling the Opioid Crisis in a Rural Community AHA Today (September 27, 2017)
St. Vincent Medical Center Riverside Trains ‘Peer-Recovery Specialists’ H&HN (September 20, 2017)
Christiana Care Health’s Project Engage seizes 'reachable moment' to treat substance use disorder AHA Today (August 16, 2017)
Project Engage seizes 'reachable moment' to treat substance use disorder, AHA News (August 16, 2017)
Safer and More Appropriate Opioid Prescribing: A Large Healthcare System’s Comprehensive Approach – Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice (July 2017)
Drug Court Teams – New Ulm Medical Center, New Ulm, MN (May 2017)
Conservative Management Clinic – Winona Health, Winona, MN (May 2017)
Post-Surgery Prescription Program – Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH (March 2017)
Controlled Substance Care Team – CHI St. Gabriel’s Health, Little Falls, MN (March 2017)
A Multi-Pronged Approach to the Opioid Crisis – Catholic Medical Center, Manchester, NH (February 2017)
Perinatal Addiction Treatment Program – Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH (February 2017)
Maternal Opiate Medical Support Project – MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH (January 2017)
Looking for more CASE EXAMPLES of how hospitals are addressing the opioid epidemic? Click here.
CDC, HHS, and SAMHSA Resources
CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) – on Opioids
SAMHSA Press Release: SAMHSA Reaffirms Efforts to Address the Public Health Emergency on the Opioid Crisis (October 26, 2017)
SAMHSA Reports and Detailed Tables From the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) (September 2017)
Vital Signs (CDC's Monthly Report)
- Opioid Prescribing: Where you live matters (July 2017)
CDC's Guideline Resources: Posters
Report: Protecting Our Infants Act Report to Congress (January 19, 2017)
White Paper: Opioid Use, Misuse, and Overdose in Women (December 2016)
CDC's Opioid Guide Mobile App (December 2016)
Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (November 2016)
Advancing the Care of Pregnant and Parenting Women with Opioid Use Disorder and Their Infants: A Foundation for Clinical Guidance, SAMHSA (August 3, 2016)
A Collaborative Approach to the Treatment of Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder: Practice and Policy Considerations for Child Welfare and Collaborating Service Providers, SAMHSA (August 2016)
SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions Substance Use Trainings
Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) and CDC Call Series (June - December 2016)
CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, Guideline Resources, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (March 2016)
Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit, SAMHSA (January 2016)
Hospitals & Health Networks Coverage
Making Sure Patients Who Need Opioid Meds for Pain Use Them Effectively (November 9, 2017)
Florida Hospital Trains ‘Peer-Recovery Specialists’ to Steer Opioid Users Toward Treatment (September 20, 2017)
For more H&HN stories on the opioid epidemic, visit the H&HN website.
Other AHA Resources
AHA Statement for Senate HELP Committee Hearing on Opioids (October 5, 2017)
Prescription Opioids: What You Need to Know (June 2016)
The Joint Commission seeks to clarify 'misperceptions' of its pain standards (April 27, 2016)
Joint Commission Statement on Pain Management (April 18, 2016)
Looking for recent AHA LETTERS, ADVISORIES, and BULLETINS on the opioid epidemic? Click here.
Related Resources
Opioid Prescriptions: What to Ask (January 9, 2020)
Addressing the Prescription Opioid Crisis: Advancing Provider Education and Collaborating with All Stakeholders, NEJM Catalyst (November 8, 2017)
President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis (November 1, 2017)
Expanding Treatment Opportunities for Hospitalized Patients with Opioid Use Disorders, Journal of Hospital Medicine (October 18, 2017)
Annals of Surgery: Special Series: The Opioid Crisis (Some articles require a subscription)
Prescription Drug 2016: Addressing America’s Drug Epidemic (June 2016)
Heroin overdose antidote now costs double, The Daily Beast (May 30, 2016)
Opioid abuse in chronic pain – misconceptions and mitigation strategies, New England Journal of Medicine (March 31, 2016)
Opioid use and overdose: what we’ve learned in Ontario, Healthcare Quarterly (January 2016)
Reducing Adverse Drug Events Related to Opioids Implementation Guide, Society for Hospital Medicine, Center for Hospital Innovation and Improvement. (2015) (Free registration required)
AAMI Foundation Report Makes Case for Continuous Monitoring of Patients Receiving Opioids, AAMI (December 18, 2015)
CMS Survey and Certification Letter related to monitoring of post-operative patients receiving IV opioid medications (March 14, 2014)
Related Resources
AHA Center for Health Innovation Market Scan