Denver-based UCHealth's Greeley (Colo.) Emergency and Surgery Center reduced opioid use by participating in a state pilot program in 2017, the Reporter-Herald reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. The center was one of 10 emergency rooms in the state that participated in the six-month Alternatives to Opiates pilot project. Five of the participating facilities were from UCHealth.
2. The pilot's goal was to reduce the number of opioids administered in emergency rooms by using alternatives to opioids as a first line of defense.
3. On average, the 10 facilities decreased opioid use by 36 percent and increased the use of opiate alternatives by 31 percent.
4. All of the participating UCHealth facilities continue to follow the opioid administration guidelines.
5. Five Phoenix-based Banner Health hospitals have now joined the program.