Hospital systems need to address the “hot potato” effect for patients looking to transition out of pain management services and shore up tapering and detox services provided.
Lack of cross-training between pain management and addiction treatment leaves a gaping hole in hospital systems, creating a blind spot that fuels the opioid crisis. Pain management specialists are often not trained to counsel patients on tapering and withdrawal of potentially addictive medications. In addition, many hospitals shy away from hospital detox services due to margins on the services.
"We have a lot of siloing when we talk about opioid problems and the issues of tapering, detox and the opioid crisis," said Dr. Gregory Rudolf, of Swedish Medical Center. "Part of the problem is there is sort of the pain camp and the addiction camp. It