Becker's ASC Review

17 ASC MANAGEMENT surgical procedures are short. Historically, orthopedic procedures are more painful and involve higher narcotic use. e use of narcot- ics in an ASC must be monitored closely, and clinical protocols should also be established that minimize the need for narcotics. Tom Wilson. CEO of Monterey Peninsula Surgery Center (Mon- terey, Calif.): MPSC has adopted policies restricting postoperative opiate prescriptions to five days or less for breakthrough pain only. Anti-inflammatory and over the counter pain relief medications are usually sufficient to manage our patients' pain and are our preferred method of controlling post-surgery pain. Todd Chapman, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon at OrthoCarolina Spine Center (Charlotte, N.C.): Education and time spent with patients discussing expectations is a front-line therapy that many of us as providers could dedicate more time to. Setting expectations that pain associated with surgery and orthopedic conditions is temporary is important. Utilizing other non-opioid medications to address the pain associated with injury and surgery is a parallel strategy we should continue exploring and implementing aggres- sively. Bradford Curt, MD. Neurosurgeon at Mayfield Brain & Spine (Cincinnati): The statistics examining the opioid epidemic serve to highlight the negative social and economic impact that opioid misuse and overdose has had on our country. Multiple factors have led to the current opioid crisis, and I believe tack- ling the current problem will require the cooperation of physi- cians, patients, companies, healthcare systems, government and the local community. We physicians need to recognize and appropriately diagnose a pa- tient's underlying conditions, such as depression, which make pain management more complicated. Treating these pain-magnifying conditions will improve overall quality of care and pain manage- ment. Effectively identifying and treating the underlying cause of a patient's acute pain will shorten the need for pain management. Patient education and a strong physician-patient relationship allow early communication of arising problems and possible medication abuse. Early detection and treatment will hope- fully minimize abuse, dependence, and overdose risks. We need multidisciplinary approaches wherein a pain treatment team expands its focus on acute and chronic pain in a patient- centered fashion. Current systems have focused on the supply side aspect of the crisis by monitoring prescribing habits and reducing prescribed amounts. The demand aspect of opioid misuse needs to be addressed as pharmaceutical companies innovate pain management options that include non-opioid as well as opioid medications and medications to combat opioid use disorder. As genetic testing improves, I hope to be able to choose more effective medica- tions for individual patients while avoiding drugs that present more risk to the individual patient. Sole reliance on opioid pain medications must decrease as other less addictive or less eas- ily abused options become available. Healthcare systems have and will need to continue to track medication usage and warn providers of possible abuse behaviors. These systems will need to connect our patients into an effective treatment and recovery program with local and government support. n ©2018 Boston Scientific Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved. ENDO-554109-A A June 2018 Demand more. As the healthcare industry continues to change, we expect you to demand more from Boston Scientific. With a team focused solely on the Ambulatory Surgical Centers, we want to help you optimize your business performance while you continue to deliver high-quality patient care. Challenge us. We're ready. Your dedicated team deserves our dedicated support. Because we're ready to deliver more. Infection Prevention Scope Repair and Certified Pre-owned Equipment GI Specialized Pathology GI Lab Optimization Single-Use Devices Community Wellness ASC SOLUTIONS BSC-332_ASC_DemandMore_Beckers_HalfVert.indd 1 9/26/18 3:54 PM

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