How Hospitals Can Fight the Opioid Epidemic

Medscape—November 2, 2017

In an online video, Medscape featured HSS anesthesiologist and director of Pain Management Seth A. Waldman, MD; HSS social worker Justin Donofrio, LCSW; and HSS senior director Peter W. Grimaldi, MS, PA-C, MBA, MPT discussed developing and establishing HSS guidelines to address the opioid epidemic.

"Confronting the difficulties and managing the population of patients who are on prescription opioid medicines and having surgery has become a significant challenge in the United States over the past 10-20 years," said Dr. Waldman.

Donofrio said that HSS surgeons and social workers have cohesively developed guidelines for opioid prescribing, including educational programs that provided clinicians tools to determine which patients would benefit from preoperative pain screening.

"In the current environment, where there are a lot of legislative changes afoot at the state and federal level, along with changing practices—whether it be pharmacies or other providers—it is important that we are focused on our patients and what we determine to be in their best interest," said Grimaldi.

Watch the full video at medscape.com [subscription required].