Overview
Altarum manages the Detroit Opioid Prevention Collaborative, a community initiative in partnership with the University of Michigan and The Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority, that trains and educates a broad cross-section of professionals in the community who are central to addressing the opioid crisis, from clinicians prescribing opioids to law enforcement officers administering life-saving naloxone.
Our Approach
Altarum manages and evaluates all aspects of the program from training law enforcement officers and community organizations on how to administer naloxone to enrolling and registering pharmacies in Michigan’s naloxone Standing Order program. In addition, we lead the Collaborative’s work on responsible opioid prescribing. We conduct continuing medical education for providers on opioid prescribing and patient screening and referrals for opioid misuse and abuse. We’re also experts in integrating prescription monitoring programs into clinical practice, and are helping physicians in the Detroit area use the Michigan Automated Prescription System to promote responsible prescribing.
Results
Altarum’s work with the Collaborative will result in 350 community providers learning evidence-based practices for opioid prescribing, using the state’s prescription monitoring database, and increasing screening rates for opioid misuse and abuse. And because of coordination with stakeholders in law enforcement and community organizations, people at risk of opioid abuse or overdose are more likely to get life-saving treatment sooner, as well as access to long-term recovery services.
Contact Us
Emily Ehrlich - MPH, PMP
Director, Behavioral Health
Areas of Expertise- Practice Transformation
- Substance Use Disorder Prevention
- Quality Improvement & Clinical Decision Support
Emily has more than 20 years of experience in health care policy and research, including directing a program funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to educate and train 4,000 primary care and behavioral health providers in depression screening and responsible opioid prescribing. Emily has a master’s degree in health behavior and health education, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and is a certified Project Management Professional.
Gregory Makris - MD
Medical Director, Appropriate Care
Areas of Expertise- Continuing Medical Education
- Electronic Health Record Integration
- Quality Improvement & Clinical Decision Support
Greg is Altarum’s medical director for the Great Lakes Practice Transformation Network—part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Transforming Clinical Practices Initiative. He develops evidence-based guidelines and best practices for practitioners in clinical accuracy and EHR integration. He also administers Altarum's continuing medical education program. Greg holds a medical doctorate from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine.