Implementation and Policy Recommendations from the VHA State-of-the-Art Conference on Strategies to Improve Opioid Safety

• Authors: Joseph W. Frank, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System; Amy S. B. Bohnert, University of Michigan Medical School; Friedhelm Sandbrink, Washington DC VA Medical Center; Marsden McGuire, VA Medical Center, Washington DC; Karen Drexler, Emory University
• Journal Title: Journal of General Internal Medicine
• Volume: Volume 35, Number Suppl 3
• Publisher: Springer | 2020-12-01, Pages 983-987
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06295-y
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Pharmacology; Health Sciences, Public Health
• Keywords: chronic pain; health policy; opioid use disorder; Analgesics, Opioid; Humans; Opioid-Related Disorders; Pain Management; Policy; Veterans

Abstract

Evidence-based treatment of opioid use disorder, the prevention of opioid overdose and other opioid-related harms, and safe and effective pain management are priorities for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA Office of Health Services Research and Development hosted a State-of-the-Art Conference on “Effective Management of Pain and Addiction: Strategies to Improve Opioid Safety” on September 10–11, 2019. This conference convened a multidisciplinary group to discuss and achieve consensus on a research agenda and on implementation and policy recommendations to improve opioid safety for Veterans. Participants were organized into three workgroups: (1) managing opioid use disorder; (2) Long-term opioid therapy and opioid tapering; (3) managing co-occurring pain and substance use disorder. Here we summarize the implementation and policy recommendations of each workgroup and highlight important cross-cutting issues related to telehealth, care coordination, and stepped care model implementation.