Goldfinch Health Journal
Opioids
The Redemption of Celecoxib
What if the drug we ran from was safer than the one we ran to? In the early 2000s, the “Coxib Crisis” sent shockwaves through medicine. The withdrawal of Vioxx (rofecoxib) created a cardiovascular ghost that haunted every remaining drug in its class. For years, clinicians shied away from celecoxib (Celebrex), fearing that its selective COX-2 inhibition was a heart attack waiting to happen. Many pivoted instead toward what they perceived…
Goldfinch Health Launches Billion Pill Pledge Program in Central Florida
Goldfinch Health has announced the launch of its Billion Pill Pledge program in partnership with Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, marking the seventh state in which the evidence-based initiative has been established. The Billion Pill Pledge program represents a comprehensive approach to addressing the opioid crisis through prevention and optimization of prescribing practices. By working directly with healthcare providers and medical professionals, the program aims to reduce unnecessary opioid prescriptions and…
Bright spots emerge in the prescription opioid crisis
We’re making progress, but the gap between intention and practice reveals how far we still need to go. Ten years after the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons called for a cultural shift in opioid prescribing, bright spots are emerging. Multimodal pain management protocols at institutions like Cleveland Clinic have significantly reduced patient reliance on narcotics after major shoulder procedures. Where surgeons once routinely sent patients home with 40 or more oxycodone…
North Dakota HHS awards Opioid Settlement grant to Goldfinch Health for prevention program
North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the recipients of the latest round of Opioid Settlement Fund grants, including funding for Goldfinch Health’s Billion Pill Pledge program. “Opioid settlement funds allow us to invest in programs that save lives, support recovery and build healthier communities,” said Christopher Joseph, chair of the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee and general counsel for the Governor’s Office. “We’re proud to partner with organizations doing…
How Community Leaders are Combating the Opioid Crisis with Prevention
Recently, John Greenwood (COO and Co-founder of Goldfinch Health) was joined by two community leaders for a discussion about fresh approaches to prevention in the face of America’s Opioid Crisis. Commissioner Andria Herr of Seminole County, Florida, and Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson of Douglas County, Nebraska, are leading the charge to adopt these approaches in their communities and beyond. Commissioner Borgeson, motivated by alarming overdose statistics in her community, has advocated…
City of Mobile (AL) Selects Goldfinch Health for Opioid Prevention Program
Following a comprehensive and data-intensive review process, the City of Mobile and the Helios Alliance selected Goldfinch Health to deliver its Billion Pill Pledge program for the Gulf Coast community. Goldfinch’s proposal was one of 16 selected, from a total of 33 submitted proposals. The Billion Pill Pledge program focuses on better pain management and fewer opioids after surgery. The program brings upstream prevention to a multi-faceted approach to opioid abatement….
Goldfinch Health’s Billion Pill Pledge Program Highlighted by Orthopedics Journal
Recent research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) demonstrates that Enhanced Recovery pathways can dramatically reduce postoperative opioid prescriptions for orthopedic patients. The Results The study analyzed data from 100 patients (67 arthroplasty and 33 arthroscopy) treated by 11 orthopedic surgeons across 9 Iowa hospitals as part of the Billion Pill Pledge program, powered by Goldfinch Health. Researchers found that Enhanced Recovery pathways—which feature multimodal…
The Case Against Combos
Why leading healthcare providers are turning to oxycodone monotherapy as part of multimodal pain management regimens designed to better treat pain and reduce opioid exposure for patients and families Opioid plus acetaminophen (APAP) combination products—hydrocodone/APAP (Lortab, Norco, Vicodin) and oxycodone/APAP (Percocet)—have been among the most commonly-dispensed medications in America over the last 20 years. Proactive, multimodal management of acute pain (such as after a surgical procedure or injury) is the new…
Preparing for Surgery When You Have a History of Opioid Use Disorder Can Be Challenging; Here’s What You Need to Know
Every patient approaching surgery should be concerned about persistent opioid use, Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), addiction, and leftover prescription medications. One group should have grave concerns—those patients who have a history of Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The Opioid Crisis has now raged on for over two decades. As a result, it is estimated over 20 million Americans have a history of OUD. That’s one person for every 13 adults in the…
Surgery Quality Analysis & Blind Spots
Lowering healthcare costs while increasing surgery quality? Sounds impossible. But with the right insight into surgery quality and action, it’s entirely possible. To get your no-cost assessment, contact Goldfinch Health today! When it comes to providing the best in medical benefits, it’s easy to have blind spots to where those services could be improved. We developed a new tool, our Surgery Quality Analysis, to shine a light on those areas we…
Opioids, Women & Employee Benefit Strategies
You won’t find the face of the opioid crisis in an unemployed 28 year-old man; it’s an employed and insured 52 year-old woman. And that can be helped with the right employee benefit strategies. How Much Is Outdated Surgery Costing Your Company? Find out now. That means employers could bring an end to this era. How? Well, employers play a leading role in the purchasing of healthcare in our country. With…
Opioids: The dangers of re-exposure and how we can be part of the solution
Meet Brett. Heavily involved in high school sports, a shoulder injury led to surgery. And that, as it does for millions of patients each year, led to a prescription for opioids to manage the pain. With that decision, the script changed. But not immediately. Brett recovered and moved on with his life, which included a career as a college baseball player. A second shoulder surgery would be needed, right after college….
Patients Who Manage Post-Surgery Pain Best Know This
Patients Who Manage Post-Surgery Pain Best Know This If you’ve spent any time in the aisles of your local pharmacy, you know there are A LOT of non-prescription medications available. Hundreds of options exist for cough, cold, allergies, pain and other conditions. And, for the most part, that is a really good thing. Easier access—no prescription required—means better treatment. There is one drawback to medications becoming available “over-the-counter” (another term for…
The Most Important Part of the Opioid Crisis Isn’t What’s Happened; It’s What Happens Next
The Most Important Part of the Opioid Crisis Isn’t What’s Already Happened; It’s What Happens Next Updates about the Opioid Crisis in America have dominated news reports in recent years, and especially in recent weeks. The final week of August 2019 brought two ground-shaking turns in the decade-long story: An Oklahoma judge ruled Johnson & Johnson, a pharmaceutical company, must pay the state $572 million as a penalty for its role in…
The Role of Employers in the Opioid Epidemic
Lake Wobegon and the Role of Employers in the Opioid Epidemic Garrison Keillor of A Prairie Home Companion made famous a quaint place known as Lake Wobegon. In this fictional town it was claimed “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average”. Recently, what’s come to be known as the Wobegon effect—a tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities—has taken hold in…
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