MCNA Dental
Dental Details  •  Monthly Provider Newsletter
Texas Edition  •  June 2020
Corporate Website
Social Media Profiles
Texas Provider Hotline
1-855-776-6262
 
MCNA's Opioid Campaign
MCNA's Opioid Campaign

In the Fall of 2020, the U.S. Surgeon General will release the first National Oral Health Report in two decades. This report will call attention to the link between opioid prescribing in dentistry and the Opioid Epidemic, citing that 29% of opioid prescriptions are from dentists. While the ADA and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) have recommended that NSAIDs and acetaminophen be used as a first line of analgesic therapy, 85% of oral surgeons routinely prescribe opioids post surgically.

MCNA's Opioid Campaign will include ...

Quality Improvement
MCNA's Opioid Campaign

In the Fall of 2020, the U.S. Surgeon General will release the first National Oral Health Report in two decades. This report will call attention to the link between opioid prescribing in dentistry and the Opioid Epidemic, citing that 29% of opioid prescriptions are from dentists. While the ADA and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) have recommended that NSAIDs and acetaminophen be used as a first line of analgesic therapy, 85% of oral surgeons routinely prescribe opioids post surgically.

MCNA's Opioid Campaign will include the following key elements in 2020:

  • Adoption and distribution of clinical practice guidelines for opioid prescribing in oral surgery;
  • Provision of outreach and education to parents and caregivers at the time of approval for prior authorization of oral surgery. The education will encourage and empower the members to discuss options in their pain management plan with their dentist or oral surgeon prior to accepting and filing an opioid prescription;
  • Distribution of a tool kit for practices that works towards a reduction in opioid prescribing;
  • Completion of dentist profiling in states where we have access to pharmacy data; and
  • Provision of profiling results and outreach and education to those dentists and oral surgeons who present as outliers in opioid prescribing patterns.

MCNA is set to emerge as a national leader in driving change to combat the Opioid Epidemic. While we are not accountable for the pharmacy costs, we will represent ourselves as a responsible and committed partner to all states in the overall health of our members. Additionally, reducing the volume of initial opioid prescriptions will also impact ER utilization as adolescents and young adults are at a higher risk of seeking additional opioid prescriptions following initial post-surgical prescribing.

MCNA has secured the assistance of Dr. Pedro Franco, a board-certified oral surgeon in our Texas network, to assist in our quality improvement efforts. Dr. Franco has two large oral surgery practices in the Dallas area, and he has successfully taken both practices to opioid-free prescribing for post-surgical pain. He will participate in our Quality Improvement Committee (QIC) as needed to support development of evidence based clinical practice guidelines and development of provider educational materials and messaging.

MCNA has also entered into a partnership with the University of Florida (UF) for a grant proposal to study best practices in addressing the Opioid Epidemic through dentistry. The goals are acceptance of grant submission, successful reduction in opioid prescribing post oral surgery, and, ultimately, a feature story about our strategy and results in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).