Pills spilling out from a prescription bottle

Medicine’s Ali Mchaourab argues for measures to reduce opioid overprescription

Ali Mchaourab, associate professor of anesthesiology, co-wrote a piece for cleveland.com detailing measures taken at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, where he is chief of pain medicine, to avoid opioid addiction.

In the piece, titled “Emulate VA transparency to reduce opioid overprescribing,” Mchaourab and his co-author describe an initiative from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs intended to limit the amount of opioids prescribed at VA medical centers. They also highlight the impact that similar initiatives at the Cleveland VA Medical Center have had, reducing opioid prescription by 41 percent.

Read the piece.