When Alena Balasanova, MD, started the addiction psychiatry consultation-liaison service at the University of Nebraska Medical Center with a colleague two years ago, even she didn’t realize how much it would become part of the culture of her hospital. From developing protocols and processes for patients with substance use disorders getting surgery to routine consults with her internal medicine and surgical colleagues, Dr. Balasanova says she’s most proud of the team-based culture she’s been able to help create.

“With the past year and COVID, while hospital occupancy generally went down, our census on the addiction consult service increased exponentially,” said Dr. Balasanova. “As alcohol and drug use have sharply risen, there’s been an even greater need to ensure evidence-based care across multiple settings.”

For medically and surgically hospitalized patients, there is now a multidisciplinary team....READ MORE