News Release 10-Jul-2019

Redesign of opioid medication management shows impact in rural clinics

Team-based clinic redesign of opioid medication management in primary care: Effect on opioid prescribing

American Academy of Family Physicians


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In rural practice, a system redesign resulted in declines in the proportion of patients on high dose opioids and the number of patients receiving opioids. The "Six Building Blocks," a team-based redesign of opioid medication management within smaller practice settings addressing policy changes, patient agreements, patient tracking, in-clinic support, and success metrics, was implemented in 20 clinic locations across eastern Washington and central Idaho. Among patients aged 21 years and over, there was a 2.2% decline in patients receiving high dose opioids over a period of 15 months, compared to a 1.3% decline in the control group. Similarly, a 14% decline was observed in the total number of patients receiving opioids in the intervention clinics compared to a 4.8% control group decline. The results indicate that efforts to redesign care by primary care teams, guided by the Six Building Blocks framework, can improve opioid prescribing practices and possibly reduce dependency.