HCA Healthcare joins national effort to counter opioid epidemic

To help combat the nation’s opioid crisis, HCA Healthcare is proud to join the National Academy of Medicine’s (NAM) Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic.

Jonathan Perlin, MD, president of clinical services and chief medical officer at HCA Healthcare, will serve as co-chair on the collaborative effort that includes more than 35 organizations representing federal, state, and local governments, nonprofits, academia and more.

Additionally, as part of HCA Healthcare’s 50th anniversary, we are donating $500,000 to the partnership to fight against the opioid crisis.

HCA Healthcare’s top doctor says our organization’s size and scale – 178 hospitals and 1,800 sites of care – and a 50-year tradition of providing patient centered care allows us to identify trends and make improvements to care practices that positively impact more lives.

“With the privilege of 30 million patient care episodes annually, HCA Healthcare brings broad clinical insight and commits support to the National Academy of Medicine’s critical work to galvanize the public and private sectors in effectively combating the root causes of the opioid epidemic,” said Perlin, who was elected as a member of NAM, one of the highest honors in health and science, in 2015.

Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 70,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016 and more than half of those deaths were caused by opioids.

As one of the nation’s leading providers of health and care, HCA Healthcare continues to set national standards in patient safety including initiatives like its Enhanced Surgical Recovery Program, which helps patients focus on maximizing their function after surgery, rather than pain management.

HCA Healthcare’s alternative pain management strategies range from providing non-opioid medications like affiliate Swedish Medical Center’s ALTO, or alternative to opioids program, to complementary approaches like healing touch.

The program has already proven to provide better outcomes for patients, including spending less time on ventilators, developing a lower risk for hospital-acquired infections, and, most importantly, reducing the overall use of opioids in HCA Healthcare-affiliate hospitals.

Visit here for more information on the NAM Action Collaborative.

HCA Healthcare 50th Anniversary
In 1968, HCA Healthcare was conceived by two physicians and an accomplished business leader — Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., Dr. Thomas Frist Jr., and Jack Massey. This year, HCA Healthcare celebrates its golden anniversary and the culture of caring established by our three founders 50 years ago. To help us celebrate our 50th year, we’ll share stories here that reflect HCA Healthcare’s mission – above all else, the care and improvement of human life – and our pledge to improve life and make history for the next 50 years and beyond.