Provider-Targeted Behavioral Interventions to Prevent Unsafe Opioid Prescribing for Acute Pain in Primary Care

The Usual Care group (also known as the Guideline group) follows the recent CDC guidelines and, when triggered by an opioid prescription during a qualifying visit, will be delivered real-time in a short checklist of recommendations to: 1) check the state-specific Prescription Drug Monitoring Program; 2) assess risk factors for opioid-related harms (e.g., history of substance use disorder, history of mental health problems, benzodiazepine use); 3) avoid extended-release or long-acting opioids; 4) use a low dose of immediate-release opioid for short period of time (3-7 days); and 5) consider non-opioid management such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDS), and physical therapy. Epic EHR order sets will be linked to enable easing ordering of non-opioid therapy.

Providers will be required asked to enter a free text justification for their decision to prescribe an opioid analgesic for the acute pain condition. The provider will be notified that the justification provided will be visible in the Epic EHR. The provider has the option of entering a justification or not. If no justification is entered, nothing will be entered into the record (i.e., the Opioid Justification area in the encounter record will be left blank). The provider does not need to enter a justification if they choose to cancel the opioid prescription.

Providers will receive monthly feedback via e-mail on their status in regards to initial opioid prescriptions for acute pain, adherence to safe opioid prescribing guidelines, and proportion of patients started on opioids or acute pain who transition to chronic opioid therapy (\> 3 months). Providers in the lowest decile overall for proportion of patients with initial opioid prescriptions, unsafe opioid prescribing, and transition to chronic opioid therapy (\> 3 months) will be given positive feedback for providing high quality, evidence-based care to their patients with acute pain. Providers outside the lowest decile will be notified they are outside the high quality, evidence-based care range and will be provided with their proportions compared to the high performers.