The Authors’ Own Words: Implementation of a pharmacy consult to reduce co-prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines in a Veteran population

The Authors’ Own Words: We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Implementation of a pharmacy consult to reduce co-prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines in a Veteran population

Deborah Pardo, PharmD; Lacey Miller, PharmD, BCPP; & Dana Chiulli, PharmD, BCPP

Substance Abuse Vol. 38, Iss. 2, 2017

“This study describes the utility of a pharmacy prior authorization consult implemented in parallel with other facility-wide efforts to reduce benzodiazepine and opioid co-prescribing among Veterans. We believe these findings highlight a novel strategy, which utilizes clinical pharmacy specialists to decrease co-prescribing and improve patient safety related to this increasingly dangerous drug combination.”