“ A key differentiator of this course is that it goes beyond facts and figures to provide concrete strategies and implementation examples for healthcare organizations and clinicians , allowing them to recognize and provide effective and safe pain management and opioid stewardship ,” says Kathleen Giblin , RN , Senior Vice President of Quality Innovation at the NQF . The NQF is a 20-year-old organization with more than 400 members including consumers , health plans , medical professionals , employers , government and public health agencies , pharmaceutical and medical device companies , and quality-improvement organizations working to drive measurable improvements in healthcare .
According to Giblin , “ One of the ways NQF fulfills its mission is by engaging our members to drive meaningful and lasting change on the nation ’ s highest priority healthcare issues . Addressing the opioid crisis was a top priority for NQF Members , and as a result , NQF launched an Action Team to identify strategies and tactics to better manage patients ’ pain while reducing the risks of opioids . NQF then developed the NQP Playbook : Opioid Stewardship with input from the Action Team to provide concrete strategies and examples for healthcare organizations committed to opioid stewardship .”
“ One pocket of our membership may tell us about something innovative they ’ re doing to take action on a healthcare priority ,” she explains . “ In this instance , we spent the time listening to the action team and hearing directly from them about what impedes progress and what prevents organizations from building opioid stewardship programs . We looked at those barriers and identified targeted solutions for those . We then have the national voice to expand on that , to really elevate it across the nation . We saw the playbook as an opportunity to do that work of finding those promising practices , and then sharing them more broadly to drive progress on a national level . That ’ s what is really special about what NQF can do .”
DELIBERATIVE PROCESS YIELDS PRACTICAL GUIDE
Once NQF decided to focus its attention on the opioid crisis , its leadership team settled in for many months of work . They tapped outside experts for data and strategy ideas and began to look at how healthcare providers and entities could tackle the complex issue of opioid addiction and SUD . Realizing that opioid stewardship would be complex enough on its own , they focused on that area and began to create a framework for what is now the NQP Playbook : Opioid Stewardship .
PRODUCTS :
“ We decided to focus on that first , making sure that opioids are being prescribed • Jane at the right time for the right reasons , and • if Nurse there are Residency alternatives , to ensure that those are • being Clinical pursued Dashboard ,’” Giblin explains . “ Being that specific got us into action and began to get the basics of the playbook developed .”
“ NQF ’ s role as a neutral convener was essential to success ,” adds Meredith Gerland , MPH , CIC , CPHQ , Senior Director of Quality Innovation at NQF , pointing out that the action team alone had 40 member organizations on it , bringing to the
11 table
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Healthcare Executives from clinical and patient partners to health plans ,
industry representatives , and federal agencies .
“ NQF ’ s role as a neutral convener was essential to success .”
Meredith Gerland
MPH , CIC , CPHQ , Senior Director of Quality Innovation at NQF