Opioid Commission Interim Report - Calls for Mandatory CME for Opioid Prescribers

The White House’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis (Opioid Commission) has issued an interim report, which offers recommended actions for President Trump to take now, with more recommendations planned for the fall of 2017. The headline-creator of the report was the recommendation to President Trump that he declare the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency and expedite funds and resources to stop the crisis. The Opioid Commission discussed its outreach to individuals and organizations, including all fifty Governors and bipartisan members of Congress, providers, insurers and medical and treatment societies.  It has received more than 8,000 comments from the public, including comments from at least fifty organizations. Overprescribing of opioid pain relievers has been widely viewed as the leading cause for the rise in opioid-related substance abuse cases and overdose deaths over the past decade. Opioids accounted for more than 63% of the more than 52,000 drug overdose deaths that occurred in the U.S. in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among opioid-related deaths, more than 15,000 involved the use of a prescription opioid. The commission advised Trump to enforce current federal law and to ensure that health plans do not impose less favorable benefits for particular diagnoses, including those surrounding mental health and substance abuse. "This is simply an issue of equity and medical civil...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs