Andrew Quanbeck, PhD
A clinical trial publication authored by Andrew Quanbeck, PhD, and others from the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health is featured throughout July 2026 on JAMA+ Trials. The publication, “Strategies to Deimplement Opioid Prescribing in Primary Care,” was selected for illustrating the theme of “Deescalation, Discontinuation, and Deimplementation Trials: Evaluating Whether and How to Do Less.”
The Balanced Opioid Initiative study tested different methods of training health care providers about ways to help reduce reliance on prescription opioids to manage chronic pain. The trial examined data for 8,978 patients across 32 clinics focused on adhering to CDC-issued opioid prescribing guidelines. The goal was to determine whether more intensive implementation support would lead to safer, more guideline-concordant opioid prescribing.
The study emphasized a “de-implementation strategy,” which meant doing less of something shown to be harmful or ineffective. The researchers found that clinics receiving the most intensive combination of implementation support strategies (education and feedback, practice facilitation, and prescriber peer consulting) reduced overall opioid prescribing more than clinics receiving the least intensive support (education and feedback alone). The difference amounted to a 6% decrease in daily opioid dose, highlighting a modest but statistically significant way to reduce the amount of opioids prescribed. Overall, the findings indicate that helping clinics change workflows and providing clinicians with expert peer support can promote more evidence-based opioid prescribing.
Andrew Quanbeck, PhD, leads the University of Wisconsin–Madison Implementation Science and Engineering Lab. His research draws on concepts from systems engineering to develop innovative approaches to implementing evidence-based practices. Quanbeck is also chair of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Collaborative Research Committee. Co-authors from DFMCH include Xiang Li, MS, Jillian Landeck, MD, Alice Pulvermacher, MS, and Randy Brown, MD, PhD.
JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the most widely circulated general medical journal in the world. It has been published continuously since 1883. JAMA Network Open is a member of the JAMA Network, a consortium of peer-reviewed, general medical, and specialty publications.
Published: July 2026