Welcome to the CPS Opioid Stewardship Resource webpage!

As pharmacy professionals, we know you continue to be on the front lines of the ongoing opioid epidemic.  We hope that the resources found here, including outstanding work done by our own members, will be of use in your day-to-day practice.    

COs CURE
(Colorado’s Opioid Solution: Clinicians United to Resolve the Epidemic) 

This two-year project brought together fourteen specialty medical societies, Colorado Hospital Association, Colorado Medical Society, and Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention. The outcome of this partnership resulted in the development of seven clinical guidelines that center around the same four pillars – limiting opioid use, using alternatives to opioids (ALTOs) for the treatment of pain, implementing harm reduction strategies, and improving the treatment and referral of patients with Opioid Use Disorder. CO’s CURE brought together diverse clinical specialties, all committed to resolving the opioid epidemic in Colorado through the development of opioid prescribing guidelines that seek to treat patients’ pain more effectively while reducing unnecessary exposure to opioids.

Two of our Colorado Pharmacist Society members, Dr. Sara Wettergreen and Dr. Rachael Duncan, led efforts to create the Colorado Pharmacists Society 2020 Opioid Prescribing and Treatment Guidelines. This resource was collaboratively created as part of the interprofessional effort called Colorado’s Opioid Solution: Clinicians United to Resolve the Epidemic (CO’s CURE). These guidelines are intended for pharmacists across multiple practice settings, to guide and encourage efforts to target the opioid epidemic in Colorado.

 

CO’s CURE Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
2019 Hospital Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution Guidelines
CO's CURE Website

 

Colorado MAT (Colorado Medication-Assisted Treatment) 

Inpatient Guides


Current involvement/efforts/affiliations


 Relevant Colorado Legislation

Senate Bill

  • Senate Bill 15-053 Opioid Antagonist Dispensing: The bill authorizes that a pharmacist may dispense an opiate antagonist to individuals who qualify and is strongly encouraged to provide education on the use of an opiate antagonist. . 
  • Senate Bill 20-007 Treatment Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders: The bill authorizes a pharmacy that entered into a collaborative pharmacy agreement to receive an enhanced dispensing fee for the administration of all injectable medications for medication-assisted treatment that are approved by FDA. 
  • Senate Bill 21-011 Pharmacist Prescribe Dispense Opiate Antagonist: The bill requires a pharmacist to inform an individual of the potential dangers of high dose opioid use at the time when dispensed. The pharmacist should also  offer to prescribe the individual an opiate antagonist if the individual is prescribed a benzodiazepine at the same time or if the opioid prescription is dispensed at or in excess of 90 morphine milligram equivalents per day.

  • Senate Bill 22-027 Prescription Drug Monitoring Program: The bill requires each licensed health-care practitioner to query the program prior to filling a prescription for every opioid or benzodiazepine.

House Bill
  • House Bill 18-1007 Substance Use Disorder Payment and Coverage: The bill authorizes a pharmacy that entered into a collaborative pharmacy practice agreement to receive an enhanced dispensing fee for the administration of all injectable opioid or non-opioid antagonist medications that are approved by FDA.
  • House Bill 20-1065 Harm Reduction Substance Use Disorders: The bill requires a pharmacist to notify the patient who is receiving an opioid prescription order about the availability of an opioid antagonist.
  • House Bill 21-1276 Prevention of Opioid Use Disorders: The bill requires prescribers to have limited supply of a benzodiazepines, that a prescriber may prescribe a patient who has not had a prescription for a benzodiazepine in the 12 months, except for benzodiazepines prescribed to treat specific disorders or conditions.
  • House Bill 22-1115 Prescription Drug Monitoring Program: The bill allows a pharmacist who is registered with the program to authorize an unlimited number of designees to access the program on the practitioner’s or pharmacist’s behalf if the designees meet the eligibility criteria and to register those designees in a group user account.
  • House Bill 22-1326 Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention: The bill introduces the efforts to prevent fentanyl overdose in Colorado. CPS is working to raise awareness to ensure patient access to free naloxone.

State Resources:

National Resources:

CDC

Department of Health and Human Services

National Harm Reduction Coalition

SAMHSA