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´óÏóÊÓƵStats: Average Annual Spending on Adult Opioid Prescriptions

Between 2021 and 2022, average annual total outpatient prescription costs for oxycodone totaled $1.9 billion, and costs for hydrocodone totaled $700 million, accounting for nearly 75 percent of the total $3.5 billion spent on all opioid prescriptions among adults. (Source: ´óÏóÊÓƵMedical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #559, .)

Today’s Headlines:

• Addressing Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Resources From AHRQ.
• Stakeholders Collaborate To Develop Systemwide Solutions to Emergency Department Boarding.
• Data Submission Opens for ´óÏóÊÓƵSurveys on Patient Safety Culture® Ambulatory Surgery Center: June 2–20.
• New Research and Evidence From AHRQ.
• TeamSTEPPS® Tool Supports Both Patients and Providers.
• Recording of Safety Culture in Healthcare Webinar Now Available.
• Register for Upcoming Webinars.
• ´óÏóÊÓƵin the Professional Literature.

Addressing Unhealthy Alcohol Use: Resources From AHRQ

April is Alcohol Awareness Month—a time when many health organizations focus on the impact of, and evidence-based treatments for, alcohol use disorder. ´óÏóÊÓƵoffers research and tools to support clinicians and patients in understanding, identifying and treating unhealthy alcohol use. Explore the resources below to learn more:

• The EvidenceNOW: Managing Unhealthy Alcohol Use Initiative provides toolkits, implementation guides, workflow examples, quality improvement resources and patient education materials to support alcohol-related care in primary settings. These resources help practices integrate screening, brief intervention and treatment into routine care.
• The ´óÏóÊÓƵIntegration Academy’s  includes more than 590 tools and materials designed to support primary care practices in managing unhealthy alcohol use. These resources encompass areas such as screening, brief intervention, referral to treatment, medication-assisted treatment, training, patient education and practice implementation, and can be filtered by use, topic, format and audience to suit diverse clinical needs.
• synthesizes research on behavioral, pharmacologic and combined interventions for adolescents, age 12 to 20, with problematic substance use or substance use disorder. It includes interventions aimed at achieving abstinence, reducing the quantity and frequency of use, improving functional outcomes and minimizing substance-related harms.
• summarizes some of  for adults who have or think they might have alcohol use disorder. This summary explains what alcohol use disorder is, outlines available medicines to treat it, reviews research on how well those medicines work, describes possible side effects and suggests topics to discuss with a doctor.

Stakeholders Collaborate To Develop Systemwide Solutions to Emergency Department Boarding

An AHRQ-authored  in Health Affairs Scholar highlights the importance of a public-private partnership approach to confront emergency department (ED) boarding. The commentary, written in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, opens a forthcoming featured series in the journal encouraging a multifaceted approach to resolving this critical health system issue. Boarding is the practice of keeping admitted patients in the emergency department because of a lack of available inpatient beds—an operational norm that has been proven to result in increased risk of harm, even death. At AHRQ’s 2024 Summit to Address ED Boarding, 100 key stakeholders from public and private sectors gathered in person, with 695 more participants joining online. Participants collaboratively explored five solution areas for the ED boarding problem: a systemwide approach to incentives and transparency, the use of real-time data, meaningful development of the workforce, attention to the unique problems faced by rural facilities, and a strong connection to primary and behavioral care. Read the agency’s full report of the summit for more details (select Emergency Department Boarding). 

Data Submission Opens for ´óÏóÊÓƵSurveys on Patient Safety Culture® Ambulatory Surgery Center: June 2–20

´óÏóÊÓƵdeveloped the Surveys on Patient Safety Culture (SOPS®) Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey in response to interest from ASCs in assessing patient safety culture in their facilities. ASCs that have administered and collected data for AHRQ’s Ambulatory Surgery Center Survey on Patient Safety Culture between July 2023 and June 2025 are invited to submit data for AHRQ’s Surveys on Patient Safety Culture Ambulatory Surgery Center Database from June 2 to June 20. Participating ASCs will receive feedback reports, comparing their results to aggregated, de-identified data from all database participants. Visit AHRQ’s website for the survey and supporting materials and to learn more about database submission. 

New Research and Evidence From AHRQ

• Rapid Review: .
• Technical Brief: .
• Systematic Review (draft open for comment through May 5): .
• Systematic Review (draft open for comment through May 5): .
• Systematic Review (draft open for comment through May 30): .

TeamSTEPPS® Tool Supports Both Patients and Providers

It’s not just healthcare teams who benefit from AHRQ’s TeamSTEPPS 3.0 curriculum—patients and family caregivers can also get help from a new guide to support self-advocacy and care decisions. Originally designed and developed jointly by ´óÏóÊÓƵand the Department of Defense for healthcare teams, TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based system that helps improve communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals to improve patient safety and care. Now a single, modular course, TeamSTEPPS 3.0 includes interactive discussions, exercises, video-based simulations and more to strengthen team skills, reduce communication breakdowns and improve patient care and communication. The updated curriculum was developed with input from experts, patients and caregivers for use by the healthcare team, but it may also be helpful for patients and caregivers as they advocate for themselves or their loved ones. Learn more about how TeamSTEPPS supports healthcare teams or review the Welcome Guide for Patients and Families. 

Recording of Safety Culture in Healthcare Webinar Now Available

The webinar Safety Culture in Healthcare: Improving Safety Culture Using Teamwork and Patient Safety Norms, sponsored by the AHRQ-led National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety, highlighted the importance of safety culture and teamwork in healthcare settings. This webinar, held March 18, was the second of a three-part series on Safety Culture in Healthcare. Experts from Duke University School of Medicine and the University of Michigan discussed how a strong safety culture and effective teamwork are crucial because they significantly impact both patient experience and staff morale. The presenters answered audience questions on TeamSTEPPS and the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP)—tools that can help create safe, supportive environments for patients and healthcare professionals. Access the recording and presenter materials from this event.  

Register for Upcoming Webinars

• May 1, 2–3:15 p.m. ET: ´óÏóÊÓƵWebinar on Approaches To Address the Health of Specific Patient Populations in Primary Care. In this webinar by the National Center for Excellence in Primary Care Research, learn about research on addressing the health needs of specific patient populations in primary care. This includes research to (1) develop community-informed quality measures and implementation strategies for primary care, (2) adapt a transition of care intervention for patients with serious mental illness insured by Medicaid and (3) evaluate a measure of shared decision making for maternity care across demographic groups. Advance registration required.
• May 7, 1–2:30 p.m. ET: . ´óÏóÊÓƵis conducting a gap analysis to identify opportunities to improve and expand Patient Safety Indicators, including into new care settings and populations. This webinar will share the interim findings of the analysis, featuring initial reactions from Sue Sheridan and Dr. Peter Pronovost, with feedback welcomed from a broad range of stakeholders.
• May 8, 11–11:30 a.m. ET: . Learn how participants in the program will receive expert support to prevent infections and promote safety culture.
• May 13, noon–1 p.m. ET: Implementing CMS’ Patient Safety Structural Measure (PSSM). This webinar from the National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety will include leaders on the front line of PSSM implementation and delve into tools and resources that support implementation of the five domains of the PSSM: Leadership Commitment, Strategic Planning and Organizational Policy, Culture of Safety and Learning Health System, Accountability and Transparency, and Patient and Family Engagement. 

´óÏóÊÓƵin the Professional Literature

An ecological momentary assessment and intervention tool for memory in chronic traumatic brain injury: development and usability of memory ecological momentary intervention. Morrow EL, Nelson LA, Duff MC, et al. JMIR Rehabil Assist Technol 2024 Nov 26;11:e59630. Access the  on PubMed®.

Enhancing pediatric long COVID care through telementoring: insights from an ECHO program. Villatoro C, Henning E, Ng R, et al. Clin Pediatr 2025 Mar 12. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the  on PubMed®.

Improving alcohol-related care in small-medium primary care practices: an evaluation of an adaptation of the SPARC trial intervention for small-medium sized practices. Hamilton LK, Lapham GT, Day A, et al. J Subst Use Addict Treat 2025 Apr 12. Epub ahead of print.] Access the  on PubMed®.

Interdisciplinary systems may restore the healthcare professional-patient relationship in electronic health systems. Cauley MR, Boland RJ, Jr., Rosenbloom ST. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2025 Jan 17. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the  on PubMed®.

A mixed methods study of backup behavior among interprofessional ICU teams. Costa DK, Lee KA, Wright NC, et al. Heart Lung 2025 May-Jun;71:1-6. Epub 2025 Feb 1. Access the  on PubMed®.

Emerging domains for measuring health care delivery with electronic health record metadata. Tawfik D, Rule A, Alexanian A, et al. J Med Internet Res 2025 Mar 6;27:e64721. Access the  on PubMed®.

Enhancing patient engagement and understanding: is providing direct access to laboratory results through patient portals adequate? Lustria MLA, Aliche O, Killian MO, et al. JAMIA Open 2025 Apr;8(2):ooaf009. Epub 2025 Mar 24. Access the  on PubMed®.

Diagnostic stewardship of endotracheal aspirate cultures in hospitalized children with artificial airways: expert consensus statements from the BrighT STAR (Testing STewardship for Antibiotic Reduction) respiratory collaborative. Sick-Samuels AC, Kelly DP, Woods-Hill CZ, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med 2025 Apr;26(4):e569-e582. Epub 2025 Feb 12. Access the on PubMed®.