Combating the Opioid Crisis: Helping Communities Balance Enforcement and Patient Safety

On behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and our clinician partners – including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers – and the 43,00 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups, the American Hospital Association (AHA) thanks you for your leadership on addressing the opioid crisis.

Every day, hospitals witness the devastating effects of opioids on the patients, families and communities we serve. Prescription opioids can be a safe and necessary element of pain management for those who have experienced trauma or are suffering from cancer, sickle cell disease or other diseases that cause debilitating pain. On the other hand, opioids carry significant risk for misuse, addiction, overdose and death, and must be used judiciously.

To prevent addiction and misuse, hospitals and health systems are working to reduce patients’ exposure to opioids by making other types of pain control more readily available. They are implementing standard, evidence-based protocols for prescribing limited amounts of opioids to patients, and they are safeguarding prescription drugs from diversion. Our members are using state prescription drug monitoring programs and working to link them to their electronic health records to ensure that a seamless and accurate flow of information regarding the patient’s prescriptions is available.