ARMC One of 42 California Hospitals Honored for “Superior Performance” in Opioid Treatment

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) has achieved “Superior Performance” in the 2021 California Opioid Care Honor Roll Program.

To achieve this highest level of recognition from the California Opioid Care Honor Roll, ARMC implemented advanced and innovative opioid stewardship across multiple service lines. ARMC has actively measured and monitored performance for the purpose of continued quality improvement, and consistently achieved the highest level of performance this past year.

105 hospitals participated in the 2021 Opioid Care Honor Roll, and 42 of those hospitals, including ARMC, met the criteria for “Superior Performance.”

For hospitals, participating in the Opioid Care Honor Roll is a commitment to actively accelerating and strengthening their opioid stewardship programs. ARMC answered eight questions across four key domains of care: using opioids safely and effectively, identifying and treating patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), preventing overdose, and applying cross-cutting opioid management best practices.

ARMC has been continually striving to provide the highest level of opioid care. In 2019, ARMC was one of 31 healthcare facilities selected from throughout California to participate in the California Bridge Program. This 18-month program encourages approaching substance use as a treatable chronic illness by creating an environment that welcomes disclosure of opioid use, providing rapid evidence-based treatment, and enabling patients to enter and remain in treatment. The program treats emergency rooms and acute care hospitals as a critical window for initiating treatment, rather than just providing patients with referral information. Through the program, ARMC received funding, training, and technical assistance to improve and increase access to facility-wide treatment and referral of acute symptoms of substance use disorders.

Pictured is Carol Lee, M.D., one of several ARMC doctors aiming to expand emergency medicine initiatives that address the overdose epidemic through the treatment of opioid and stimulant use disorders.