NJ hospital first in nation to phase out opioids in ED

A New Jersey hospital is believed to be the first emergency department in the nation to embark on a program to reduce opioid prescriptions, a move that has already caused a sharp drop in their to manage pain (Source: “NJ hospital ER leads nation in tackling pain pill addiction,” Newark Star Ledger, March 28, 2016).

Doctors at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, N.J. are now using alternate pain medications and other methods to reduce pain for 75 percent of their patients. During its first two months, three-fourths of its 300 emergency room patients had their pain managed without opioid pills, according to hospital officials.

"Rather than covering up pain with opiods, we actually treat where the pain is coming from," said Markl Rosenberg, chairman of emergency medicine.

The policy is in stark contrast to a survey by the National Safety Council released this week that found that 99 percent of U.S. doctors write narcotic painkiller prescriptions that extend beyond the federally recommended three-day limit. And nearly a quarter of doctors provide month-long prescriptions even though research has found narcotic painkillers can cause brain changes when used for one month, according to the survey.