Reducing Opioid Abuse, A Quick Guide to Internet Resources

By DAVID HARLOW, MD The opioid crisis has been upon us for years now, and we are now seeing the problem become more pervasive, with more than 90 deaths per day in the U.S. due to this scourge. The president recently said he would be declaring a public health emergency (which would free up some funds) but has not done so as of this writing. The public health threat is so persistent that it calls for responses on many levels, and those responses are coming. Some have been in place for a while, some are more recent. These responses may be broken down into a number of different categories: Broader availability of naloxone (antidote) and related training to first responders, health care providers and the general public (though of course in our litigious society, applicability of Good Samaritan laws to naloxone use by laypersons is a consideration) Medication-assisted treatment following acute episodes (emergency room visits) States imposing limits on prescribing and dispensing, mandating education and other innovations (for example, Massachusetts’ first-in-the nation opioids law (including the first state law limiting most opioid prescriptions to a seven-day supply), enacted in 2015, with a follow-up law enacted in 2016 that among other things offers a system for recording and communicating a voluntary opiate “opt-out” for individuals); and limiting pharma payments to physicians in order to discourage incentives for high-prescriber status (current proposal in New Jersey)...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Charlie Baker Harlow Internet Massachussetts Opioid Opioid crisis Source Type: blogs