News

Dr. Brummett Speaks at U-M Wolverine Caucus

It was a standing-room-only crowd on September 26 when a trio of University of Michigan (U-M) researchers who study the nation’s opioid crisis from many angles spoke in Lansing at a Wolverine Caucus event organized by U-M’s Lansing Service Center. The audience of health providers, policymakers and health plan leaders in the room came to hear […]

Michigan OPEN in collaboration with MSQC develops opioid prescribing recommendations

The Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (Michigan-OPEN) teamed up with the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC) to develop a new evidence-based guide to assist providers in prescribing opioids after surgery. The guide, now available online for free, gives postoperative prescribing recommendations for 11 common procedures including: hysterectomies, laparoscopic appendectomies, and more. But, the groups are […]

Michigan OPEN sponsors “Navigating the New and Improved MAPS”

On July 18, Michigan OPEN was pleased to host Dr. Rebecca Haffajee, Assistant Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and Kim Gaedeke, Director of the Bureau of Professional Licensing at the Michigan Department of Licensing Affairs, for a discussion on Michigan’s new prescription drug monitoring program, the Michigan Automated […]

Dr. Waljee featured at PULSE: On the Front Lines of Health Care

Watch Dr. Jennifer Waljee, Co-director of Michigan OPEN, and Dr. Richard Barth, Chief of General Surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, discuss prevention efforts to curb the opioid epidemic.

Four hours. Six locations. 15,000 opioids out of circulation.

Six locations across the State of Michigan participated in drug take-back events on May 20, 2017. The free, no questions asked chance to get rid of opioids and other unneeded medicines out of the house took place in Ann Arbor, Jackson, Saginaw, Traverse City, Escanaba, and Pontiac. The results of the combined events were significant, […]

Surgery Plays a Key Role in Long-Term Opioid Use

A new study from Michigan OPEN researchers suggests that having surgery may come with an additional risk: the risk of becoming a long-term opioid user. The team reviewed data from more than 36,000 nonelderly adults with private insurance who had only one operation in a two-year period from 2013 to 2014. None had an opioid […]

Michigan OPEN receives funding as part of State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grant

In an effort to help reduce opioid use and abuse, Michigan recently received more than $16 million in federal funds. This is one step of many being taken to help more families find support and treatment for addiction. The funding itself was awarded to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services through the State […]

Michigan OPEN JAMA Surgery article featured in the press

A recent study by Michigan OPEN suggests that opioid use after surgery might not be due to pain from operations. Dr. Chad Brummett, Co-director of Michigan OPEN and the study lead, states that “chronic opioid use after surgery may be one of the most common complications after surgery.” In addition to this, the study found that […]

Michigan OPEN launches with $1.4M/year state grant to prevent surgery-related opioid addiction across Michigan

The University of Michigan recently launched a major effort to prevent surgery-related opioid addiction across Michigan through Michigan OPEN. Drawing from a $1.4 million yearly state grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan OPEN, or Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network, aims to work with networks of doctors, nurses, and hospitals across the […]