St. Claire HealthCare’s Controlled Substance Stewardship Committee Awarded $10,000 Grant

St. Claire HealthCare’s Controlled Substance Stewardship Committee (CSSC) has been awarded a $10,000 grant by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to improve the care of patients undergoing chronic opioid therapy at St. Claire HealthCare.

The grant will be used by the committee to implement a “Six Building Blocks” program at St. Claire HealthCare. This program gives primary care providers access to tools and resources, as well as a proven and evidence-based roadmap to delivering effective, measured care to patients suffering from chronic pain. This opportunity also allows the committee to earn a maintenance of certification improvement in medical practice credit from the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Wendy Fletcher, DNP, APRN, SCH Clinical Director of Advanced Practice and CSSC Co-Chair, will serve as quality improvement lead and develop measures and reporting as it relates to the project. John Sanders, MD, SCH Medical Director of Hospice and Palliative Care, will serve as the project’s on-site clinical champion.

“We have a dedicated team committed to safe, high-quality care for our patients. This grant will help bring the best evidence into our clinical practices to coordinate that care, help our providers, and evaluate our processes around controlled substance prescribing,” said Cheryl McClain, MD, SCH Associate Chief Medical Officer.

The committee will participate in a project launch meeting with AHRQ representatives on May 16.

To learn more about the Six Building Blocks Team Approach to Improve Opioid Management in Primary Care, visit www.improvingopioidcare.org.