Pinnacol Assurance offers OpiSafe

Tuesday, November 01, 2016 12:30 AM

Pinnacol seeks physician testers to pilot software to help address opioid misuse

by Rick May, MD, senior medical director, Pinnacol Assurance

I recently had the good fortune of hanging out with Dr. John Hughes, CMS Prescription Drug Abuse Committee chair. We discussed his ideas on what can be done to help stem the tide of prescription drug misuse, especially as it applies to injured workers in Colorado, who are commonly exposed to opioid pain management through their work-related injuries.

John has strong feelings about addressing the opioid epidemic in Colorado. He’s seen firsthand the helplessness that some people feel when they find themselves on long-term opioids, yet still in pain.

John explained to me that the opioid-related risks for injured workers can extend far beyond the acute phase of treatment. Normally, we expect that patients with musculoskeletal injuries will improve relatively quickly, with consistently decreasing pain and opioid use. Unfortunately, some patients go the other way and develop hyperalgesia that exacerbates their chronic pain and leads to escalating dosages. Others fall into the dependence trap, where the need for the opioids continues regardless of their pain. Those who are temporarily unemployed during their workplace injury can, in John’s words, “get stuck in the purgatory of chronic pain.” Their initial injury prevents them from returning to work, but then their opioids become a barrier, impairing their function and delaying their return even longer.

Referring to his occupational medicine practice, Hughes said, “I feel strongly that opioids can be problematic and that people can become not only dependent but helpless in the face of prescribed opioids.”

A known issue
We all know the stats and figures. Here in Colorado, 63 of 64 counties have seen opioid deaths rise over the past 12 years. Twenty to 25 patients will overdose on opioids today in Colorado, and two or three will die.

Yes, we’ve all heard a lot about the problem. I’m here because I’ve spent much of my first year as Pinnacol’s medical director trying to find solutions.

Pinnacol Assurance wants to help Colorado’s health care community meet the formidable public health challenge of prescription opioid misuse. We’re committed to making it easier for physicians, medical practices, hospitals and health care facilities to provide great care for our injured workers.

Our initial focus is to discover, create and disseminate tools, resources and education that can help physicians comply with CDC prescribing guidelines while better and more efficiently managing patients receiving opioids. That’s a big charge. And this is where you come in. We’re asking physicians in Colorado to work with us to test solutions and tell us if they are useful. 

Pinnacol offers physicians free trial of opioid-prescribing software
Our first opioid improvement pilot started a month ago when we began working with RxAssurance, an opioid management optimization company, to offer physicians a free, four-month trial of OpiSafe, a new tool for safe and efficient opioid prescribing. Through our trial, this cloud-based software is free to all health care professionals and facilities that treat Pinnacol-covered injured workers and begin their trial period by Nov. 30. Also, we’re encouraging trial participants to use OpiSafe for all their opioid recipients, not just Pinnacol-covered patients. The Colorado Medical Society supports these efforts, and COPIC is awarding points for participation. For the record, Pinnacol has no financial stake in OpiSafe.

The OpiSafe tool is designed to simplify opioid prescribing, reduce paperwork and save time, making it easy to adhere to the CDC’s recommendations for opioid prescribing.

OpiSafe automatically:

• Checks the PDMP database initially and weekly thereafter.
• Evaluates patients’ risk for opioid misuse.
• Assesses patients’ pain level, opioid use and function.
• Schedules and monitors drug screening (if appropriate).
• Monitors for opioid-related side effects.
• Creates and documents billable events for reimbursement.

Greeley physician reports better patient outcomes, time and labor savings
“OpiSafe has become an integral part of our practice,” says Jan Gillespie-Wagner, MD, of Northern Colorado Pain Management. “The ability to check the state’s PDMP in seconds and manage narcotic agreements digitally has saved our staff hundreds of hours.”

Gillespie-Wagner told us OpiSafe has saved her and her staff enough time that it has allowed her to take on 20 percent more patients. OpiSafe automates PDMP checks and assessments, work that once required a full-time employee. But it’s the improved quality of care and patient outcomes that most animates Gillespie-Wagner.

We invite you to join Jan and help us out by trying OpiSafe in your practice. Pinnacol is running our trial of OpiSafe through the end of the year for any physicians who are interested. Please go to opisafe.com/pinnacol to learn more and participate.