In 2017 opioid drug prescriptions were at 7,000 per day, compared to 5,200 in 2022 — a 26% reduction. This reduction in prescribed opioids is the resulting effect of both community and statewide healthcare providers.
Kim Compagni, vice president of Pain Management Services for Intermountain Health, said they reevaluated their prescribing habits in 2017.
“We did a lot of studies in partnership with our patients, we found that we were giving too many opioid tablets for acute injuries," Compagni said. "And so through many partnerships and a lot of processes, we were able to take a look at our prescribing habits, and decrease the number of tablets that were being prescribed.”
This is a major win for the Utah healthcare system and in honor of this, a chandelier installation in the McKay-Dee Hospital lobby in Ogden has been erected by Know Your Script, an organization focused on prescription drug misuse.
Michelle Hofmann, executive medical director at the Department of Health and Human Services in Utah, recognized that there is still much work to be done, particularly in regard to overdoses from potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
“When prescription misuse was identified as a public health crisis, we were seeing a skyrocketing of overdose deaths. We have plateaued, which is good news, but we're interested in turning that curve and reducing those deaths. And fentanyl is made that a much bigger challenge for us. It's also more lethal,” explained Hofmann.
Hoffman added that they hope to improve access to treatment for those with addiction as well as reduce stigmas surrounding addiction.
Find more information in the Utah health status update.
