DENVER — A pilot program designed to address the opioid epidemic was launched in 10 Colorado hospitals, the Colorado Hospital Association announced in a release Tuesday.
The Colorado Opioid Solution: Clinicians United to Resolve the Epidemic is a safety initiative that will test the efficacy of new opioid prescribing guidelines, the release read.
The new prescribing guidelines emphasize the use of alternatives to opioids as the first-line treatment for painful conditions in the inpatient setting, according to CHA.
The following hospitals are participating in the six-month pilot program:
- Gunnison Valley Health
- Longmont United Hospital
- Lutheran Medical Center
- Rio Grande Hospital
- San Luis Valley Health
- Sky Ridge Medical Center
- Spanish Peaks Regional Medical Center
- St. Anthony North Health Campus
- UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center
- University of Colorado Hospital
The program was launched after CHA saw a “significant reduction” in the number of opioid administrations during a similar safety pilot conducted in Colorado emergency rooms in 2017.
