News

Reducing Opioid Prescriptions for One Operation Can Also Spill Over to Other Procedures

Dr. Michael Englesbe, co-director of Michigan OPEN and a transplant surgeon at the University of Michigan, has recently taken major strides in curbing the negative outcomes of the opioid epidemic. Describing the role of physicians in mitigating these consequences, he stated that, “Every surgeon, no matter what specialty or procedure they do, dentists included, needs […]

Michigan OPEN Research Featured in NY Times

“We believe patient-reported outcomes are a better way to guide than expert consensus”  -Michigan OPEN Co-Director Chad Brummett, MD. In the midst of the Opioid Epidemic, much fueled by the over prescribing of painkillers after surgery, surgeons and researchers are searching for evidence-based guidelines regarding optimal prescription sizes after surgery. Michigan OPEN, with collaborators MSQC […]

Statewide Drug Takeback Event Brings in Over One Ton of Unused Medications

On Saturday, April 28, Michigan residents in 17 counties had a chance to get opioids and other unused and expired prescription medicines out of their medicine cabinets through 27 simultaneous events held around the state. The collective effort resulted in hundreds of families safely removing a total of 2000+ pounds of medication, including approximately 54,000 […]

Opioid Commission Releases Acute Pain Prescribing Recommendations for Health Professionals

The Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission (PDOAC) has released prescribing recommendations for surgeons, emergency departments and dentists when treating acute pain. The recommendations were created in partnership with Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (OPEN) and University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center. “The recommendations are intended to provide alternatives to opioids and controlled substances for the treatment of acute pain,” said Judge Linda Davis, […]

Michigan OPEN Opioid Prescribing Guidelines featured as one of several resources all combatting the opioid epidemic at Michigan Medicine

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 115 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose—almost five every hour—and the numbers are increasing, A wide range of U-M researchers are working to tackle the root causes of, and potential solutions for, this national crisis. One of these solutions, Opioid Prescribing Recommendations for Surgery, […]

Michigan OPEN Co-Directors on panel at National Prescription Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit with BCBSM and MDHHS

Michigan OPEN co-directors, Jenn Waljee MD and Chad Brummett MD, alongside Chris Priest (Medicaid Director for the Department of Health and Human Services), and Tom Leyden (Director II, Value Partnerships Program at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan) were featured presenters at the National Prescription Drug and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, Georgia last week. This […]

Dr. Jennifer Waljee featured as one of four doctors in Healthline interview

Jennifer Waljee, one of Michigan OPEN’s co-directors, was featured as one of four doctors who gave their insight on how to reduce opioid prescriptions in a healthline interview this March. She provided her ideas for how surgeons can reduce the amount of opioids are prescribed after surgery, by highlighting some of Michigan OPEN’s research. “I […]

Prescription Opioid Use a Concern for Adolescent Surgery Patients

Nearly 5 percent of patients ages 13 to 21 who had common surgical procedures continued to receive opioid prescription refills three to six months after surgery, according to new data presented by Michigan OPEN research fellow Calista Harbaugh at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition and published in Pediatrics. This is the […]

Cutting Postoperative Opioid Prescriptions Dramatically, With No Increase in Pain

A new study, published in JAMA Surgery, reveals an interesting breakthrough from the Michigan OPEN team at the University of Michigan, in efforts to stop the national crisis of opioid addiction. The study found that reducing opioid prescribing by nearly sixty-six percent did not affect the patient’s level of postoperative pain control, which would mean […]

Dr. Brummett Awarded the 2017 James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award

Michigan OPEN Co-Director, Dr. Chad Brummett, was presented with the 2017 James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists on October 23rd. The award was in recognition of his outstanding career as a leading academic physician anesthesiologist, whose research in pain medicine has significantly contributed to the field of anesthesiology. Congratulations, Dr. Brummett!

For 1 in 10 Cancer Patients, Surgery Means Opioid Dependence

More than 10 percent of people who had never taken opioids prior to curative-intent surgery for cancer continued to take the drugs three to six months later, according to a new Michigan OPEN study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The risk is even greater for those who are treated with chemotherapy after surgery. […]

Statewide Drug Take Back Event Nets 900 Pounds of Opioids & More

Michiganders from eight communities had a chance to drop unneeded medications off for free on September 30, as part of the largest drug take-back event ever spearheaded by the Michigan-OPEN initiative based at IHPI. The event, which included partners from healthcare and law enforcement in Ann Arbor, Commerce, Escanaba, Jackson, Livonia, Pontiac, Saginaw, and Traverse […]