Led by anesthesiologist Mark Chrostowski, MD, the team will receive the 2012 John D. Thomas Award for Excellence in the Delivery of Healthcare Through the Use of Data at the association's annual meeting tomorrow.

Prior to surgery, the Greenwich team administers non-opioid medications to control pain and applies a local anesthetic to numb the joint area via a single injection or peripheral nerve catheter. Data collected from 424 patient medical records and surveys showed that patients receiving this treatment used an average of 40 percent fewer opioids during their hospital stay. Dr. Chrostowski said that he sees potential for using this approach for patients undergoing bariatric, major gynecologic, oncologic and other types of general surgery.

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