Audit report says some IHS hospitals not following opioid protocols

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – A federal audit says government hospitals have placed Native American patients at increased risk for opioid abuse and overdoses.

The report was released Monday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Inspector General.

It finds that a handful of Indian Health Service hospitals failed to follow the agency’s protocols for prescribing and dispensing the drugs.

The report doesn’t draw any conclusions about actual abuse or overdoses. But it says the five hospitals it reviewed had patients who were given opioids in amounts that exceeded federal guidelines.

The Indian Health Service agreed with each of the 13 recommendations, including improving its information technology systems. The agency says changes are coming.

The audit covers hospitals in Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota, Oklahoma and North Dakota.