UPMC's Mercy Hospital is increasing efforts to get overdose patients into treatment shortly after drug emergencies, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
Since November, overdose patients at Mercy Hosptial now receive a vial of Narcan and an appointment for treatment. UPMC includes both hospitals and a health plan, and overdose patients who have health insurance through UPMC can also expect an insurance case manager to offer assistance the day after they leave the ER.
The hospital's new policy of providing overdose patients with Narcan is expected to be implemented in UPMC's other emergency departments this month, said Michael Lynch, MD, ER physician at Mercy Hospital and medical director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center.
However, for patients struggling with opioid addiction, finding the right treatment program can be difficult. "We know that the people who are at the highest risk of dying from an overdose are those who have had an [earlier] overdose," Dr. Lynch said. "We understand and we recognize that getting into treatment is very difficult for a number of reasons."
To combat the difficulty of getting into treatment, Mercy also has specialists in the ER to talk with overdose survivors about their needs and start calling providers to find treatment programs.
When a UPMC Health Plan client is admitted to Mercy due to an overdose, an insurance case manager reaches out the next day. The insurance plan connects them with agencies that can help patients find a warm place to stay, restore their electricity or find something to eat, said Ann Giazzoni, case management supervisor at UPMC Health Plan.
Depending on the client's needs, the case manager aims to discuss treatment and enroll them in a part-time outpatient program or a full-time, inpatient rehab, Ms. Giazzoni said.
The most effective way to get people into treatment is to recruit them into an "alliance" of family, community members and professionals who want them to get better, Dr. Lynch added.