“Flooding the Community with Naloxone” to Reverse Opioid Overdoses

At Nebraska Medicine, based in Omaha, providers are prompted to prescribe naloxone at the same time they prescribe opioids so it’s on hand when people need it. When providers place orders for opioids, they see a BestPractice Advisory that reminds them to place an order for naloxone as well. Since it implemented the advisory, the number of naloxone prescriptions written at Nebraska Medicine has increased from a total of 145 in the five months prior to implementation to over 3,200 in the five months following implementation. The effect didn’t stop there; the organization extends its Epic system to other healthcare providers through its Community Connect program. The number of prescriptions filled for naloxone statewide has risen from an average of 152 per month in the five months prior to implementation to an average of 640 per month in the five months following implementation – an over three-fold increase.

How They Did It:

• Implemented decision support to remind providers to prescribe naloxone
• Pushed the advisory to hospitals and clinics around the state
• Educated providers about naloxone so they were prepared for discussions with patients

Read the full article on EpicShare.