May 24, 2019
On Friday May 10, 2019, the Opioids: Policy to Practice summit was held in Ypsilanti, MI. The event, co-sponsored by the University of Michigan and Harvard University, brought together hundreds of in-person and online attendees to learn about best practices and solutions regarding opioid prescribing and prescription drug monitoring, drug overdose detection, and access to […]
May 11, 2019
On Saturday, April 27 2019, Michigan residents in 34 counties brought opioids and other unused and expired prescription medications out to this spring’s Medication Take Back Event. The 54 simultaneous statewide events helped hundreds of families to properly dispose of a total of 3000 pounds of medication, including approximately 46,200 opioids. The event raises needed […]
Feb 1, 2019
Michigan OPEN’s Opioid Prescribing Recommendations for 2019 are now available. Visit our Prescribing Recommendations page to download as a PDF. What’s new for 2019? Recommendations for ten additional procedures, totaling 25 procedures overall Updated numbers for several previous recommendations Important to note are the revisions to previous recommendations. Michigan OPEN constantly aims to improve upon […]
Jan 18, 2019
Michigan OPEN was among the 2018 honorees at the Greater Detroit Area Health Council’s annual Salute to Healthcare on November 8. The ceremony recognizes individuals and organizations who are working to improve the health and well-being of the southeast Michigan community. The Michigan OPEN team was awarded the 2018 Eagle Award for Visionary Leadership. The […]
Nov 21, 2018
Many surgeons write prescriptions for opioid pain medications four times larger than what their patients will actually use after common operations, a new study shows. And the size of that prescription may be the most important factor in how many opioid pills the patient will take – outweighing their pain scores, the intensity of their […]
Nov 9, 2018
On Saturday, October 27, Michigan residents in 32 counties had a chance to get opioids and other unused and expired prescription medicines out of their medicine cabinets through 60 simultaneous events held around the state. The collective effort resulted in hundreds of families safely removing over 3,000 pounds of medication, including approximately 40,000 opioids, from […]
Aug 7, 2018
A new study recently published in JAMA by Michigan OPEN researchers finds a link between filling an opioid prescription after wisdom tooth extraction and long-term opioid use Young people ages 13 to 30 who filled an opioid prescription immediately before or after they had their wisdom teeth out were nearly three times as likely as […]
Jul 30, 2018
Did you know that millions of adults in the United States live with daily pain? Injuries, surgeries, and procedures are common among older adults, and can result in acute and chronic pain. In March 2018, Michigan OPEN teamed up with the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging to ask a national sample of […]
Jul 26, 2018
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 […]
Jun 20, 2018
“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 […]
Apr 28, 2018
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 […]
Apr 20, 2018
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, […]
