Colorado Hospital Association Applauds CMS Commitment to Opioid Epidemic

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLO. – July 21, 2020 – Today, Colorado Medical Society (CMS) in conjunction with the American Medical Association, issued a report highlighting progress made to date on eradicating the opioid epidemic facing this nation. “While much has been accomplished, we still have work to do,” said Darlene Tad-y, MD, vice president of clinical affairs for CHA. “We are grateful for our partnership with CMS as well as the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention as we work to prevent further opioid addiction and overdose deaths in Colorado.”

Colorado’s Opioid Solution: Clinicians United to Resolve the Epidemic (CO’s CURE) provides the resources for medical specialty society organizations to develop and implement new evidence-based opioid prescribing guidelines to pilot in Colorado hospitals and medical practices. The specialty-derived guidelines will be built around four pillars that all specialties can adhere to: limiting opioid use, using alternatives to opioids (ALTOs) for the treatment of pain, implementing harm reduction strategies and improving the treatment and referral of patients with opioid use disorder – while also allowing the specifics of each set of guidelines to be tailored to the nuances of each specialty.

The first phase of CO’s CURE focusing on hospitalists, which was piloted in Colorado hospitals earlier this year, is nearing completion. Guidelines, which will include lessons learned from the pilot, are in development for six other medical specialty groups now and are scheduled for completion by the end of the year. 

“This work would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of CMS and its physician members. Reports like the one issued today are critical to keeping the conversation going and a focus on the importance of changing the course of this disease” reports Dr. Tad-y.

Colorado Hospital Association

Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) is the leading voice of Colorado’s hospital and health system community. Representing 100 hospitals and health systems throughout the state, CHA serves as a trusted, credible and reliable resource on health issues, hospital data and trends for its members, media, policymakers and the general public. Through CHA, Colorado’s hospitals and health systems work together in their shared commitment to improve health and health care in Colorado. Learn more at www.cha.com.

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