Inova has acted to change the trajectory of this crisis with comprehensive approaches to rethink pain management. And it has achieved remarkable results. Since 2014, opioid prescribing has dropped approximately 20 percent a year systemwide, and Inova has significantly reduced Emergency Department visits by the highest opioid users.
One major success story is right here at Inova Alexandria Hospital. In 2016, a multidisciplinary team collaborated with admitting physicians and pain specialists to transform the culture around Dilaudid, one of the most powerful and commonly prescribed opioid analgesics. Evidence-based ordering practices and alternative pain management strategies resulted in a steep drop in Dilaudid orders, to 3 percent from 54 percent, in just one year. Overall opioid orders fell by 25 percent. Patient safety and physician satisfaction improved, and the hospital saved more than $40,000.
The gravity of the opioid epidemic requires a profound cultural shift. Inova believes that real change comes only as physicians, nurses, clinicians and healthcare leaders everywhere commit to a new mind-set in pain management.
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