IHC introduces first surgeries without the use of opioids

Intermountain Healthcare has introduced a first of its kind program in Utah, allowing patients to have surgeries without the use of opioids.

Doctors for the healthcare network say they have performed nearly 250 procedures using alternative painkillers in an effort to curb the use of potentially addictive treatments.

Medical teams use combinations of other drugs and nerve blockers that can treat pain just as effectively as opioids.

Patients who would still prefer opioids can still have them prescribed.