To stem the spread of the opioid epidemic, a Kettering Physician Network surgeon is performing robotic groin hernia repairs without giving opioids to patients.

Brian Ondulick, DO, co-director of the Hernia Center at Soin Medical Center, began performing the opioid-free procedure on patients three months ago. “I make sure the anesthesiologist doesn’t use opioids and I don’t use opioids to manage pain post-surgery,” explains Dr. Ondulick.

“The pain profile for patients is less with robotic surgery so I prescribe non-opioid medication.”

So far Dr. Ondulick has performed the procedure on eight patients. “No one has complained about excessive pain,” says Dr. Ondulick. “This non-opioid based pain management plan is a big win for patients across the board.”

Dr. Ondulick’s opioid-free robotic hernia surgery is one of many ways that Kettering Health Network is working to address opioid abuse in southwest Ohio. In 2017 the network

introduced the Pause—Not all pain is the same program. Pause is a way for healthcare providers and pharmacists to manage chronic or benign pain by pausing and considering alternatives to opioids.

Kettering Health Network is one of the three major partners in OneFifteen, a new organization in Dayton dedicated to the full and sustained recovery of people living with drug addiction. OneFifteen will utilize a technology-enabled system of care that includes an inpatient and outpatient drug addiction treatment.