When we think of opioid safety, the first name that pops into your head is probably Dr. Larry Greenblatt. In 2013, Greenblatt helped create Duke’s Opioid Safety Task Force, and in 2016, assisted in establishing Duke’s Opioid Safety Committee. As if that wasn't enough, he serves at a state level as a member of the "Opioid and Prescription Drug Abuse Advisory Committee," part of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Because of his expertise, Greenblatt is frequently sought out to assist on various projects associated with the ongoing opioid crisis.
Implementation of Opioid Safety Strategies
Recently, the Cost & Quality Academy from Healthcare Business Insights spoke with Dr. Greenblatt to learn more about Duke's Opioid Safety Committee and its projects. He was featured in their February 2018 issue of the Cost & Quality Academy Journal.
In the article, Greenblatt states “In 2013, we went to the medication safety committee with concerns about the developing opioid epidemic, which wasn’t really in people’s consciousness yet. It’s hard to believe that, at the time, providers didn’t worry about this as they do today. As concerns mounted across our health system, we decided that, as an organization, we needed to establish policies and procedures to address this public health problem.”
Read the full article here. Greenblatt is featured on pages 9 and 10.
Establishing Guidelines with the FDA
On Thursday, February 15, Dr. Greenblatt moderated a public workshop in Washington, DC, a panel on "Establishing Guidelines and Defining Success for Safe and Appropriate Opioid Prescribing” and focused on:
- establishing guidelines and defining success for safe and appropriate opioid prescribing
- improving prescriber decision-making tools and strategies used by health systems and payers
- managing opioid access and improving patient care
Greenblatt also assisted in the creation of a new document entitled "Strategies for Promoting the Safe Use and Appropriate Prescribing of Prescription Opioids." This document and event were organized and delivered by the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy at the request of the Federal Drug Administration.
View the full workshop in the video below:
[video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFUkAi8Coyw]
(Greenblatt begins at 1:07:00)