Jun 18, 2025

Hello,

Happy summer 2025! We’re excited to connect with you and share the latest updates, helpful resources, and upcoming events designed to support your work and community.

Clinicians, do you wish there was a way to “phone a friend” and get advice on working with patients who are experiencing complex pain or living with a substance use disorder? OPEN provides FREE same-day clinician-to-clinician consultations to help navigate your questions. As one of the on-call addiction medicine providers, I truly enjoy partnering with clinicians to problem solve and share practical, evidence-based guidance.

Interested in chatting with me or one of my colleagues? Fill out the easy online form and an addiction medicine expert from our team will contact you the same day. We look forward to meeting with you soon!

Submit a Consultation Today!

Robert McMorrow, DO, FASM

OPEN On-Call Addiction Medicine Physician

PAINLESS LICENSING AVAILABLE!

Painless is now available for licensing! This is a no cost license; the musical can be performed solely for non-commercial purposes.

Materials available under the license include:

• Sheet music
• Instrumental tracks
• Production instructions
• Marketing resources
• Educational tools

License Painless Here!

PAINLESS UPPER PENINSULA TOUR A SUCCESS!

Thank you to everyone who made our Painless: The Opioid Musical tour in the Upper Peninsula a success! We have had such a magnificent response from students, teachers, and community members who saw the show live, and we are beyond grateful that we were able to visit this community and share this story.

“I sincerely appreciate the authenticity of your characters, as their stories ring so familiar to those that have been lost to or are still fighting this disease. Ten years ago, I would have never expected to lose family members to addiction, and now that all I have is the loss of those people and their stories to share; I see the immense value in destigmatizing and educating others on this topic. To paraphrase a line from the play, we cannot end all pain, but we can ease the suffering.” – High School Teacher

OVERODSE RESCUE TRAINING EDUCATION PROGRAM

Knowing how to respond to an overdose is an important skill that could help you save a life. OPEN offers expert-led naloxone training to teach you everything you need to know to take action during a suspected overdose.

Request a Training Session

NEW RESOURCE: NEUROBIOLOGY OF ADDICTION

Watch this video to learn how addiction alters the brain and ways to treat through a multidisciplinary approach.

Answer your questions:

• What is addiction?
• Ho do brain functions contribute to addiction?
• How does the brain respond to addictive substances?
• What does treatment look like?

NUDGING PRESCRIBERS TO REDUCE EXCESS OPIOIDS AFTER SURGERY: A SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE EMAIL INTERVENTION

What if email reminders to surgeons could help them avoid overprescribing opioid pills after surgery and unwittingly contributing to the opioid epidemic?

Work completed by Dr. Jennifer Waljee and Dr. Chad Brummett was featured on RAND’s website! Read the full research summary and support their work.

In a new study conducted by RAND, Sutter Health, and several universities, surgeons who received email “nudges” to align their prescriptions with recommended amounts prescribed significantly less — and the reductions persisted for at least a year after the emails stopped. If widely adopted, this intervention could keep millions of opioid pills from being misused. This research brief describes the study’s findings and offers considerations for clinical leaders, hospital system administrators, and other stakeholders who might wish to use this intervention as a model in their own settings.

Read the full research summary here.

MESSAGE FROM AASLD: HEPATITIS C POLICY

OPEN is excited to share the following message from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD):

“On Friday, June 4th, AASLD issued a statement applauding Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) for their bipartisan leadership to eliminate hepatitis C via the Cure Hepatitis C Act of 2025. The elimination of viral hepatitis, including hepatitis C, is a top public health priority for AASLD.

“Despite the availability of a curative therapy for over 10 years, people are still dying from hepatitis C. We must seize this opportunity to get these effective therapies to those affected. I am confident that this legislation will facilitate that. AASLD stands ready to work with Senators Cassidy and Van Hollen to pass this legislation as quickly as possible to prevent more unnecessary deaths from this virus,” said AASLD President Grace Su, MD, FAASLD.

Please contact your senators today and ask them to cosponsor this legislation using our new AASLD Policy Action Center. Make your voice heard with just four clicks:

1. Select “Take Action”
2. Add your address—to locate your senators
3. Complete the four fields
4. Send

Act Now

UPCOMING EVENTS

Person-Centered Substance Use Disorder Care: Screening, Harm Reduction, & Support Strategies

August 27, 2025

@12:00pm – 1:00 pm

1.0 CE Credit

CME, MCBAP, SW

Presenter:

Eliza Hutchinson, MD, FASM

Join us for an insightful webinar to provide a person-centered approach to identifying and supporting individuals with Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Participants will learn evidence-based screening methods, patient engagement strategies, and how to apply harm reduction principles within clinical practice. The session will also cover how to leverage psychosocial support services both within primary care settings and through community-based resources to improve patient outcomes and continuity of care.

Introduction to Treating Patients with Buprenorphine for Primary Care Providers

September 8, 2025

@ 9:00am – 1:00pm

4.0 CME Credits pending

Presenters:

Chris Frank, MD, Ph.D.

Eliza Hutchinson, MD

Primary Care Providers (Physicians and Advanced Practice Professionals) who attend this MOUD training are eligible to receive a $250 incentive.

Breaking the Barriers: Addressing Stigma in the Path to Recovery

September 17, 2025

@12:00pm – 1:00pm

1.0 CE Credit

MCBAP

1.0 CE Credit Pending

CME, SW

Presenter:

Alex Elswick, Ph.D.

Join our upcoming webinar to explore the different types of stigma and their impact on recovery from substance use disorders. Discover how stigma affects self-worth and access to care, and gain practical strategies to address and reduce stigma in clinical, community, and personal settings.

Exploring the Link Between Trauma Exposure and Substance Use Disorders

September 22, 2025

@12:00pm – 1:00pm

1.0 CE Credit

MCBAP

1.0 CE Credit Pending

CME, SW

Presenters:

Sheba Sethi, MD

Melissa DeMarse, LPC, CAADC

This webinar will delve into the complex relationship between trauma and substance use disorders (SUDs). Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how traumatic experiences—especially in early life—can shape brain development, emotional regulation, and coping behaviors, increasing vulnerability to substance use. The session will also highlight the importance of trauma-informed approaches in both the prevention and treatment of SUDs.

Buprenorphine in Primary Care: Key Considerations for Pain Management

October 14, 2025

@12:00pm – 1:00pm

1.0 CE Credit Pending

CME, MCBAP, SW

Presenter:

Jane Chargot, MD

Join us for an engaging webinar that explores the use of buprenorphine in primary care pain management. This session will review the fundamentals of buprenorphine, evaluate the latest evidence supporting its use, and delve into the complex overlap between chronic pain and substance use disorders. Through real-life case examples, you’ll gain practical insights to enhance patient care.

Introduction to Treating Patients with Buprenorphine for Primary Care Providers

November 10, 2025

@8:00am – 12:00pm

4.0 CME Credits Pending

Presenters:

Sheba Sethi, MD

Eliza Hutchinson, MD, FASM

Primary Care Providers (Physicians and Advanced Practice Professionals) who attend this MOUD training are eligible to receive a $250 incentive.

PUBLICATIONS THIS QUARTER

Access literature with OPEN’s publication portfolio. We use evidence to inform public health policy and practice recommendations.

Mapping and Crosswalk of Patient-Reported Pain Measures After Surgery in the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative Registry

• Pain Medicine, 4/2/2025
• Patient-reported pain is a crucial measure for postoperative recovery, but the correlation between numeric and categorical scales remains unclear.
• The Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) used categorical rating scales (CRS) from 2017 to 2020 and 2022, switching to numeric rating scales (NRS) in 2021, offering a chance to compare both.
• This analysis establishes a framework for integrating pain scores across both scales, unlocking their potential to be used as quality postoperative pain measures.

Comparing Analgesic Regimen Effectiveness and Safety after Surgery (CARES): protocol for a pragmatic, international multicenter randomized trial

• BMJ Open, 4/5/2025
• Analgesic approaches following outpatient surgical procedures commonly involve prescription opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but an optimal regimen that balances pain and adverse effects has not been identified.
• The Comparing Analgesic Regimen Effectiveness and Safety after Surgery (CARES) trial is a pragmatic, international, multicenter randomized trial that enrolls adults undergoing three elective surgical procedures (laparoscopic cholecystectomy, breast lumpectomy, hernia repair). Participants are randomized to receive discharge analgesic prescriptions that consist of either NSAIDs or low-dose opioids (i.e., 10 pills of oxycodone 5 mg or equivalent), with both groups prescribed acetaminophen around-the-clock.
• The primary effectiveness outcome is patient-reported worst daily pain intensity over the first 7 days after surgery. The primary safety outcome is the occurrence of opioid and/or NSAID side effects over the first 7 days after surgery.

Prevention of hypotension after neuraxial anesthesia in nonobstetric surgery: a systematic review

• Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, 4/17/2025
• Hypotension occurs frequently during neuraxial anesthesia and is associated with increased risks of perioperative complications.
• We sought to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that evaluated interventions intended to mitigate exposure to intraoperative hypotension and prevent complications following the administration of neuraxial anesthesia for major nonobstetric noncardiac surgery.
• Several interventions hold promise for mitigating exposure to hypotension following neuraxial anesthesia, albeit supported by very-low to moderate-certainty evidence.

Empowering Clinicians: A Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Pain Management for Peripartum Opioid-Use Disorder

• Anesthesia and Analgesia, 4/25/2025
• Opioid-use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy increased significantly in the past decade and is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States, primarily due to opioid overdose and co-occurring mental health conditions.
• The quality of intrapartum and postpartum pain management may influence long-term outcomes for these patients, particularly rates of peripartum depression and a return to substance use.
• Effective pain management during the postpartum period can bolster trust in the health care system and promote continuous engagement with clinicians throughout the vulnerable “fourth trimester” or postpartum period.

Low opioid fill rates continue after termination of a financial incentive for opioid-free vasectomies

• International journal of impotence research, 6/10/2025
• In the United States, after a physician performed a vasectomy, he or she would bill the insurance program to be paid for their work. However, with the implementation of the modifier 22 incentive, BCBSM allowed for a doctor to add a modifier 22 to the bill to be able to receive up to 35% additional reimbursement for their opioid free vasectomy procedure.
• Between 11/1/2020 and 2/28/2023, we identified 4,848 men who underwent office-based vasectomies (vasectomy group) and 4,118 men who underwent other office-based urologic procedures (control group).
• Overall, we found that following the termination of modifier 22 incentive, a low peri-procedural opioid prescription fill rate was sustained and physicians did not revert to their previous higher level of opioid prescribing after vasectomies.