How Mass General Brigham is Using IT to Address Substance Use Disorders at a Systems Level

In this episode, Moderator Dr. Scott Weiner learns how Dr. Sarah E. Wakeman’s innovative role unites diverse stakeholders to change both culture and practice in SUD care. We explore best practices for medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), the development of unified IT tools, and the fine balance between clinical support and alert fatigue. Dr. Wakeman highlights the importance of data and quality dashboards, plus how Medicaid and state funding are leveraged to sustain impactful initiatives. The episode offers practical inspiration, showing how collaboration and the right incentives can drive value—and save lives.

What You'll Learn

• Strategies for building system-wide, holistic SUD initiatives.

• How to engage stakeholders across health systems, from clinicians to IT to state agencies.

• Best practices for developing and updating MOUD order sets.

• Approaches to increasing provider comfort with life-saving opioid treatments.

• The balance of clinical decision support and alert fatigue.

• The role of data dashboards in tracking SUD outcomes and quality measures.

• How to leverage Medicaid and state funds to support and expand treatment resources.

• Insights into risk contracts, funding streams, and statewide efforts to prevent overdose deaths.

• Why this challenging work is both challenging and rewarding!

MODERATOR: Scott Weiner, MD, MPH, FAAEM, FACEP, FASAM

Emergency and Addiction Medicine Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Weiner is the McGraw Distinguished Chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and addiction medicine. He is an active researcher, working on multiple projects that focus on prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder.

GUEST: Sarah Elizabeth Wakeman, MD

Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder at Mass General Brigham

Medical Director for the Mass General Hospital Substance Use Disorder Initiative

Program director of the Mass General Addiction Medicine fellowship

Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Sarah E. Wakeman, MD is the Senior Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder at Mass General Brigham in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Medical Director for the Mass General Hospital Program for Substance Use & Addiction Services, Program Director of the Mass General Addiction Medicine fellowship, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

She received her A.B. from Brown University and her M.D. from Brown Medical School. She completed residency training in internal medicine and served as Chief Medical Resident at Mass General Hospital. She is a diplomate and fellow of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and board certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

Clinically she provides specialty addiction and general medical care in the inpatient and outpatient setting at Mass General Hospital and the Mass General Charlestown Health Center. Her research interests include integrated substance use disorder treatment in general medical settings, low threshold treatment models, and opioid use disorder treatment.