In 2023, several like-minded hospitalists noticed a gap in patient care, provider knowledge, and research within the division and hospital regarding the treatment of patients with addiction. These physicians—Benjamin Hoemann, MD; Thomas Hoyt, MD; Alex Lane, MD; Randy Laine, MD; Alyssa Moller, MD; and Corey Shy, MD—decided to come together to discuss these issues and address them, forming the Addiction Medicine Subcommittee.
“Patients with addiction are a vastly underserved group who can greatly benefit from more care and attention to their addiction disorders,” Dr. Alyssa Moller stated. “We hope to bring them increased compassionate and evidence-based care.”
“Patients with addiction are a vastly underserved group who can greatly benefit from more care and attention to their addiction disorders. We hope to bring them increased compassionate and evidence-based care.”
Alyssa Moller, MD
Since its inception, the subcommittee has achieved great success in increasing education and awareness around treating patients with addiction, initiating multiple projects within the division and hospital. They presented an educational series for the division’s weekly Grand Rounds which delved into opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). In addition, the subcommittee performed a scoping review on the prescription of medications for opioid use disorder and conducted a survey of BJH providers to gauge their knowledge of and comfort with prescribing these medications. Several members also participate in hospital or system-wide committees focused on opioid stewardship and pain management. Dr. Alyssa Moller and Dr. Corey Shy have attained board certification in Addiction Medicine, with additional members planning to pursue certification in 2025.
What are the future goals of this subcommittee? They plan to continue to integrate with other departments to increase their impact across the hospital. Dr. Alyssa Moller said, “We are in the process of working with the toxicology and psychiatry departments to create a new integrated addiction medicine consultative service at BJH, hopefully starting in the next year or so, to better serve our patients.”