Roneet Lev, MD, chief of emergency medicine at San Diego’s Scripps Mercy Hospital, collaborated with local ED physicians to create guidelines for changing the way local EDs dispense painkillers, such as dispensing only small amounts of opioids when necessary and checking a state database to confirm patients are not physician shopping.
Under the new rules, ED patients with chronic pain will be directed to visit their primary care physician, according to a separate KPBS report.
Ten out of 19 San Diego EDs recently surveyed had “significantly reduced their prescribing since we started our safe prescribing guidelines,” Dr. Lev said.
More articles on EDs:
St. Luke’s Health Memorial ER undergoes $10.2M expansion
Washington hospital works to streamline ED care
California hospital sees 10-hour ER waits; $32M expansion underway
