Pennsylvania-New Jersey SOS – Surgical Opioid Stewardship

The opioid epidemic impacts families across the U.S. as patients continue to die from opioid overdoses at alarming rates. The Health Care Improvement Foundation is pleased to partner with the Pennsylvania NSQIP (National Surgical Quality Improvement Program) Consortium in the PENNJ-SOS collaborative to address the epidemic by working together to reduce opioid use disorder at the time of surgery.

What is

PENNJ-SOS?

Pennsylvania & New Jersey Surgical Opioid Stewardship

PENNJ-SOS is a multi-year quality improvement collaborative involving surgeons and surgical teams working to prevent chronic opioid use among surgical patients. The collaborative is led by the Health Care Improvement Foundation and funded by the AmerisourceBergen Foundation, an independent not-for-profit charitable giving organization dedicated to improve the health and wellbeing of patient populations.

Patients & Caregivers

Having surgery can increase your chances of being exposed to opioids. If you have surgery that is likely to have a painful recovery period, opioids might be a good option for controlling your pain.
The best way for you to manage your pain and to safely manage your medications is to be informed and prepared.

Clinicians & Providers

Surgical teams and their clinical colleagues play an important role in preventing opioid misuse. PENNJ-SOS offers provider-focused educational materials and resources to support with patient-provider communication, pain management, and opioid prescribing. We also offer patient-friendly, health-literate video and print resources to help hospitals communicate about their surgery and related pain management and opioid use.

Drug Disposal

Prevent diversion by getting rid of your unused medications. Proper disposal helps prevent unsafe use and abuse of medications. It also helps curb illegal drug activity.

Resources

If you’re a patient, caregiver, or provider who wants to learn more about opioids and surgery, visit our Resources page to view webinars, listen to podcast episodes, download educational materials, and more.