CarePoint Health Emergency Medicine Teams Win Prestigious ACEP E-QUAL Awards for Excellence in Opioid and Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Twenty CarePoint Health-staffed emergency departments across three states have been named to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) 2023 Emergency Quality Network (E-QUAL) Honor Roll, a select group recognized for outstanding achievements in treating opioid and alcohol use disorder (OUD and AUD).

Hospitals were included in the OUD honor roll if ≥ 10% of OUD patients had treatment administered in the ED or at home and ≥ 50% were prescribed or provided naloxone in the ED. Hospitals made the AUD honor roll if ≥ 90% of AUD patients were offered counseling or given a referral and the site outperformed 50% of EQUAL-participating sites in treating or prescribing AUD patients with any of the following medications: benzodiazepines, gabapentin, naltrexone, phenobarbital, acamprosate, disulfiram, carbamazepine, or valproic acid.

The clinical teams at these facilities have “demonstrated excellence” in critical AUD and OUD metrics, according to ACEP. OUD patients seen at CarePoint-staffed EDs are being discharged with take-home naloxone and started on medications for OUD, such as buprenorphine, and connected to ongoing care with community partners. Meanwhile, AUD patients treated by CarePoint clinicians are being initiated on naltrexone and gabapentin.

“Emergency physicians are … making lifesaving improvements to the way substance use disorders are treated and prevented,” ACEP President Aisha Terry, MD, FACEP, said. “ACEP’s E-QUAL Honor Roll recognizes emergency departments across the country that are enhancing and expanding how we approach these vital areas of emergency care.”

This highly impactful initiative was led by CarePoint’s Quality Department — Camille Broadwater, PhD, MPH, Quality Manager; LeGrand Rogers, MD, Risk Manager; Matthew Broadwater-Hollifield, MD, Western Market Chief Medical Officer; and Dylan Luyten, MD, Eastern Market Chief Medical Officer.

The CarePoint-staffed facilities recognized were:

OUD:

• Centennial Hospital (Centennial, CO)
• Holy Cross Hospital - Davis (Layton, UT)
• Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan Valley West (West Valley City, UT)
• Mountain View Hospital (Payson, UT)
• Mountain West Medical Center (Tooele, UT)
• North Suburban Medical Center (Thornton, CO)
• Presbyterian St Luke’s Medical Center (Denver, CO)
• Rose Medical Center (Denver, CO)
• Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Sky Ridge Medical Center (Lone Tree, CO)
• St. Mark's Hospital (Millcreek, UT)
• Swedish Medical Center (Englewood, CO)
• The Medical Center of Aurora (Aurora, CO)

AUD:

• Brigham City Community Hospital (Brigham City, UT)
• Holy Cross Hospital - Jordan Valley West (West Valley City, UT)
• Lone Peak Hospital (Draper, UT)
• Holy Cross Hospital - Mountain Point (Lehi, UT)
• Ogden Regional Medical Center (Ogden, UT)
• Holy Cross Hospital - Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Timpanogos Regional Hospital (Orem, UT)
• West Valley Emergency Center (West Valley City, UT)
• West Valley Medical Center (Caldwell, ID)

According to ACEP, more than 32,000 Emergency Medicine clinicians at over 1,400 EDs have participated in E-QUAL initiatives. Together, their work has led to $55 million saved through avoidable imaging and hospitalization, a 23% increase in prescribing alternatives to opioids, and a 35% decrease in opioids administered in the emergency department, significantly improving patient care and outcomes.

We’re incredibly proud of and thankful for all our clinicians at these facilities and the life-changing work they do every day.