Most hospitals are leaning on EMRs to support their opioid management programs, according to a KLAS Research report.
KLAS Research polled more than 100 executives, directors and managers from hospitals and clinics for its report on popular strategies and technologies organizations are adopting for opioid management. Two-thirds of surveyed organizations labeled themselves as "novices" or "beginners" in terms of opioid stewardship.
EMRs were the most popular technology respondents said they used for various tasks related to opioid management, including identifying and preventing addiction at the point of care, identifying and monitoring problematic prescribing habits, identifying and monitoring possible drug diversion, and analyzing and directing care management efforts.
Most respondents were confident in EMR vendors' ability to meet opioid stewardship expectations; however, they identified several aspects of the EMR that vendors could improve. Here are the top capabilities respondents cited they need from their EMR vendors to move their programs forward:
1. Prescription drug monitoring program or application programming interface integration: 41 percent
2. Opioid-specific clinical decision support or tool sets: 34 percent
3. Population health management for opioid use disorder: 12 percent
4. Prescriber monitoring: 5 percent
Nine respondents said they were unsure and four respondents cited "other."
To download KLAS Research's report, click here.