Opioid Rescue Therapy, Not Just A Quick Fix…

91 Americans lose their lives every day to opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  That is over 33,000 Americans each year, and the rate is only rising, actually having quadrupled since 1999.  It is now accurately categorized as an Epidemic and, appropriately, stringent private and public institutional changes are being implemented to minimize the likelihood of future abuse.  This includes limited pill counts, prescription drug monitoring platforms, closed formularies, etc.  These improvements reduce the likelihood of future dependency, but what about those already dependent, the most at risk for potential overdoses.  What can we do about them?

The first answer: Keep them alive.  Enter the growing availability of Opioid Rescue Therapies.  Two of the most commonly prescribed are Narcan® and Evzio®.  Both medications utilize naloxone, an opioid antagonist, which can be a life-saving treatment in the case of an opioid overdose.  Rescue Therapies have become standard issue to police, emergency medical personnel, and recently have become available over-the-counter without a prescription at participating CVS Pharmacy® locations in 41 states. The reason: they work.

However, we cannot have Rescue Therapy serve as just a ‘Band-Aid’. Furthermore, the issues of cost need to be addressed. There are currently multiple formulations of naloxone available, the cost of which varies dramatically. Evzio® ($4,500.00) is a brand-name naloxone auto-injector that uses a pre-filled device with a voice-prompt providing direction for use. Conversely, Narcan® ($150.00) is a fast-action nasal spray that also provides two doses, but at a fraction of the cost.

Prescribing naloxone should be viewed as one step in a comprehensive opioid risk assessment strategy. Patients, prescribers, and loved ones should periodically question the opioid doses/regimen employed. Is it effectively reducing pain and improving function with minimal side-effects?  Could a lower dose provide similar efficacy with a reduced overdose risk?  Has weaning been tried recently?  Has an opioid rotation to a lower dose alternative or non-opioid pain reliever been trialed?

When further examining treatment, it is also important to consider additional risk factors, such as other medications employed and co-morbidities. For example, patients with COPD or sleep apnea or who are prescribed opioids in conjunction with central nervous system (CNS) depressants such as diazepam or clonazepam are at a significantly increased risk for overdose.

While the decision to prescribe naloxone can be a necessary emergency step, it is important it be viewed as a window of opportunity for patients and prescribers alike to address the current medication regimen, while ensuring the most cost-effective naloxone formulation is easily accessible for the patients who need it most.

About the Author: Anthony Sambucini is a founding principal and the Chief Executive Officer of ANS Solutions. Anthony specializes in bridging the goals of clinical innovation and business strategy that have helped propel ANS Solutions into a national leader in Pharmacotherapy Review Services for workers’ comp insurers and ANS Pharmacotherapy Review Program is the most advanced, results-oriented drug utilization review program in the industry. As a consultant to insurance carriers and attorneys, Anthony customizes services based on the particular needs of the client and oversees all activities related to business development and company operations. For more information about ANS Solutions visit http://ans-solutions.com/.

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/opioid-rescue-therapy-not-just-quick-fix/

Exorbitant Price Increases in Workers’ Compensation

Sudden and exorbitant drug price increases in recent years have brought the annual cost of treatment for some patients to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and have forced others to go without, sparking outrage throughout the United States.

Price increases involving critical, life-saving drugs like EpiPen® and Daraprim® have been labeled “outrageous”, “predatory”, and “price gouging” events that solely drive drug company profits. The example of Daraprim®, a medication that had been available for 63 years yet had a 5,000% price increase in a single day, was so shocking it sparked a U.S. Senate special investigation and report. While drug price spikes involving prescriptions used in the group health setting have been widely covered in the press, unfortunately, the same pricing trend has occurred with several drugs used in the pain management setting for Workers’ Compensation injuries. The following chart contains three such examples:

Vimovo®: This brand-name combination NSAID/PPI was historically manufactured by AstraZeneca for approximately $2/capsule. However, in January 2014 the rights to manufacture Vimovo® were sold to Horizon Pharma, which increased the cost, overnight, to $16/capsule (a 700% price increase). Horizon has since increased the cost of Vimovo® on a regular basis with a current, exorbitant price of $2,710.90 ($45.18/capsule).

Pennsaid®: The price of this is topically applied NSAID was increased by 480% in one day in January 2015 by Horizon Pharma. Since that time the cost has risen even further to an excessive $2,716.02 per prescription.

Levorphanol: This “generic” opioid has only one manufacturer, Sentynl Therapeutics. Given they are the sole generic manufacturer of levorphanol, they have increased the cost by an astronomical 2,959% since 2011, currently charging nearly $50 per tablet.

If, in this financially turbulent pharmaceutical environment, you find patients on inordinately high-priced mediations such as Vimovo®, Pennsaid®, or levorphanol, often the prescriber is not aware of the exorbitant cost of these products and/or the safe, effective treatment options available. While primary consideration should always be clinical efficacy, having an open, transparent discussion with the prescribing provider about these unfortunate realities can only be of benefit to all parties with a vested interest in the outcome of care.

About the Author: Anthony Sambucini is a founding principal and the Chief Executive Officer of ANS Solutions. Anthony specializes in bridging the goals of  and business strategy that have helped propel ANS Solutions into a national leader in Pharmacotherapy Review Services for workers’ comp insurers and ANS Pharmacotherapy Review Program is the most advanced, results-oriented drug utilization review program in the industry. As a consultant to insurance carriers and attorneys, Anthony customizes services based on the particular needs of the client and oversees all activities related to business development and company operations. For more information about ANS Solutions visit http://ans-solutions.com/.

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/exorbitant-price-increases-workers-compensation/

Saving Billions with Collaboration

Medical misdiagnoses happen. However, a recently released report shows a staggeringly-high incidence: As much as one-fifth of claims involve diagnosis errors that are extending the treatment of injured workers and costing the workers’ comp system billions.

Stunning Numbers

The 10-year study, conducted by Boston medical consultation service, Best Doctors, uncovered in an estimated 250,000 workers’ comp injuries 21% involved misdiagnosis and/or inappropriate medical treatment. In the most expensive top 5% of claims, error rates were estimated to jump as high as 50%. Cumulatively, these errors can add up to as much as $15 billion of the estimated $65 billion in workers’ comp claims expenditures annually nationwide.

Added Complications

Language barriers and misunderstandings may increase complications. Treatments take a wrong turn, sometimes resulting in the prescription of dangerous opioids and unnecessary treatment plans, increasing subsequent costs. Managing Director of Best Doctor Occupational Health Institute, Michael Shor, indicated that such findings remain consistent among all areas of the medical profession.

Blame?

It is irresponsible and simply wrong to place the blame on any one entity or component. It is critical to remember that medical professionals make every effort to ensure treatment is appropriate and that their patients receive the highest level of care available. But they are human, just like the injured workers, case managers, and insurance employees.

How to Improve

The first step in preventing the physical, emotional, and financial tolls of diagnoses errors that result in prolonged disability and jeopardized careers is simple: Collaboration. Essential to quality of care, particularly in complex cases, the collaborative effort of medical personal with employers, patients, carriers and workers’ comp case managers can provide improved quality assurance and help prevent these issues. Peer review of diagnoses and second opinions can likewise reduce issues at the pass, putting injured workers on a better path, circumnavigating unnecessary costs and extended recoveries.


About the Author: Anthony Sambucini is a founding principal and the Chief Executive Officer of ANS Solutions. Anthony specializes in bridging the goals of clinical innovation and business strategy that have helped propel ANS Solutions into a national leader in Pharmacotherapy Review Services for workers’ comp insurers and ANS Pharmacotherapy Review Program is the most advanced, results-oriented drug utilization review program in the industry. As a consultant to insurance carriers and attorneys, Anthony customizes services based on the particular needs of the client and oversees all activities related to business development and company operations. For more information about ANS Solutions visit http://ans-solutions.com/.

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/savings-billions-collaboration/

Can Technology Help?

State and local governments collect a lot of health data, but as it turns out, there are many roadblocks to putting that data to its highest and best use. Building a bridge, however, could create the potential for its use in battling the U.S. opioid epidemic, which is taking its toll in every corner of the country, across all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Just how could digging a little deeper into this data help to uncover the hidden facets of this epidemic?

Mining for Gold

Law enforcement, the healthcare sector, and human services collect a wide assortment of data when it comes to opioids, tracking sales through prescription drug monitoring programs, post-addiction treatment, overdoses, and deaths. While this data sometimes helps identify doctor shopping and over-prescribing, it does little to thwart addiction. Typically, little information is shared with other entities, or nationally, except as required by law. However in a few states, this data is being used for a higher purpose – compiled into a richer picture of the crisis in the hopes of taking control via a proactive, not reactive approach to the crisis – and neighboring states are taking notice.

Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery

In Indiana, the state recently rolled out an opioid ‘crime dashboard,’ compiling data on overdoses from area health professionals and forensic labs. Used to deploy law enforcement, it is helping deliver aid to the areas hardest hit, ensuring enough anti-opioid prescriptions on-hand to counter the effects of the drugs and save lives. Massachusetts is now engaging in a similar attempt with their own available data.

Stepping Things Up a Notch

Bridging the divide between states, technological firms are also stepping-in – and stepping things up in the communications arena, to join forces nationwide. Meeting in Portland for a panel discussion, companies such as Massachusetts-based company Biobot Labs, whose human waste analytics can determine where drugs are being abused in particular areas, are teaming-up with others such as Chicago-based Triggr, designer of data-driven, personalized addiction-recovery systems that combine a mobile app with human interaction to identify and thwart relapse, and looking to ways their diverse skill and data sets can contribute to fighting the epidemic. The end goal? Making the shift from thwarting fatal overdoses, to that of early detection and overdose prevention.

Tearing Down the Walls

As history has shown in this epidemic, simply collecting and storing relevant data is not enough. Data must be better analyzed and integrated to produce positive results. Future collaborations such as these will be integral in making impactful decisions and better allocating resources. Multi-stakeholder organizations – a joint committee or joint taskforce – will be key, as no network yet exists between state and local governments. Law enforcement, alongside the healthcare and IT arena must work together to breakdown current barriers, unifying – not isolating – via a cohesive strategy. Though this will be no small task, the sharing of such data on a national level is crucial. If the trend continues, tens-of-thousands of American lives could depend on it in the coming years.

About the Author: Anthony Sambucini is a founding principal and the Chief Executive Officer of ANS Solutions. Anthony specializes in bridging the goals of clinical innovation and business strategy that have helped propel ANS Solutions into a national leader in Pharmacotherapy Review Services for workers’ comp insurers and ANS Pharmacotherapy Review Program is the most advanced, results-oriented drug utilization review program in the industry. As a consultant to insurance carriers and attorneys, Anthony customizes services based on the particular needs of the client and oversees all activities related to business development and company operations. For more information about ANS Solutions visit http://ans-solutions.com/.

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/can-technology-help/

Government Struggles to Hold Opioid Manufacturers Accountable

For the first time ever, the U.S. DEA targeted a prescription drug manufacturer for their role in black market opioids and damages incurred. Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest national manufacturers of the highly addictive generic painkiller oxycodone, one of the leading drugs responsible for the more than 15,000 overdose deaths in 2015, was accused of shirking its responsibility to report suspicious drug orders.

Who’s to Blame For The Opioid Epidemic?

Created at Mallinckrodt’s Hobart, NY facility, oxycodone shipped via its distributor network, including KeySource, Sunrise Wholesale and Cardinal Health, who later supplied the pills to retailers, including pharmacies and hospitals accused of illegally diverting the drugs. Discovered in a 2009 Tennessee Drug Task Force sting and linked back to Mallinckrodt’s distributors Florida retailers, 2010-2011 DEA investigations uncovered large amounts of Mallinckrodt oxycodone – such as the 41 million KeySource Medical oxycodone tablets delivered to Florida retailers in 2010 – about 2.5 pills for every man, woman and child in the state. Accused of splitting orders to conceal shipment amounts, KeySource was ordered by the DEA to halt, later relinquishing its distribution license. Distributors Sunrise Wholesale and Cardinal Health likewise delivered vast quantities of Mallinckrodt’s oxycodone to pharmacies in Florida. 500 million Mallinckrodt pills ended up in Florida from 2008-2012 — 66% of state oxycodone sales. A 2011 subpoena following this the discovery further revealed, 6 weeks after the Tennessee task force alerted Mallinckrodt to the drugs found in the 2009 sting, Mallinckrodt shipped another 2.1 million tablets their Sunrise distributor, 92,400 tablets of which were sold to Dr. Barry Schultz, the Delray Beach doctor whose oxycodone was found in Tennessee. Schultz was later convicted of drug trafficking and manslaughter (for a related overdose death). In one day, he prescribed 1,000 tablets to a single patient. Ultimately, the DEA and federal prosecutors alleged Mallinckrodt ignored its responsibility to report suspicious orders, in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.

Shirking Responsibilities?

Under federal law and DEA policy, pharmaceutical companies are required to “know their customers,” monitoring amounts, frequencies, and patterns of drug orders, immediately notifying the DEA of suspicious activity – or risk losing their license to manufacture and sell controlled substances, as well as civil and criminal penalties. Though Mallinckrodt maintained publicly the company has worked hard to fight drug diversion, internal case summaries prepared by federal prosecutors indicated Mallinckrodt’s response was that ­‘everyone knew what was going on in Florida but they had no duty to report it.’ Sources familiar with settlement talks indicated Mallinckrodt acknowledged its responsibility to report suspiciously large orders, but contended the DEA did not require manufacturers to know about (or be responsible for) ‘their customers’ customers,’ further pointing to conflicting DEA advice as to legal responsibilities. Prosecutors considered a whopping 43,991 unreported orders from distributors and retailers suspicious.

Uncharted Waters

Appalled by the rising opioid death toll, the DEA’s push to hold drug manufacturers accountable was hoped to be a wake-up call, putting the industry on notice for its responsibilities in the diversion of drugs to the black market. Instead, after years of industry investigations spanning five states to build the massive case, the results mirrored the DEAs previous attempt to hold wholesale distributors accountable. The case stalled. Fierce company resistance and intense lobbying efforts may have played a role in the lack of legal action pursued. The case settled for $35 million in fines and no admission of wrongdoing.

Small Potatoes

The proposed settlement, a mere fraction of the 44,000 federal violations pointed to in the investigation which could have cost the company $2.3 billion in fines, amounts to small potatoes for a company that posted $3.4 billion in revenue and $489 million in profit in 2016. In a later February 2017 SEC filing, Mallinckrodt even noted the investigation “will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition” because it had set aside the funds.

About the Author: Anthony Sambucini is a founding principal and the Chief Executive Officer of ANS Solutions. Anthony specializes in bridging the goals of clinical innovation and business strategy that have helped propel ANS Solutions into a national leader in Pharmacotherapy Review Services for workers’ comp insurers and ANS Pharmacotherapy Review Program is the most advanced, results-oriented drug utilization review program in the industry. As a consultant to insurance carriers and attorneys, Anthony customizes services based on the particular needs of the client and oversees all activities related to business development and company operations. For more information about ANS Solutions visit http://ans-solutions.com/.

SOURCES:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/dea-mallinckrodt/?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9DxkF3wbuslmavvDf3o8CSw_0KLDObRAx7Ah4JgQ2Vi7_84yvAVhoUcmcpQyMQ-LDuL7935zGFyhc7J8njQ-cALSVCEg&_hsmi=51277531&utm_campaign=Rx%20Summit&utm_content=51277531&utm_medium=&utm_source=hs_email&utm_term=.ebaec91ff136
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mallinckrodt-settlement-idUSKBN1751JM
https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000022900

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/government-struggles-to-hold-opioid-manufacturers-accountable/ 

How Does Doctor Shopping Impact The Opioid Epidemic?

Surprisingly, the non-medical prescription of drugs, including opioids, continues, with only states holding legislation against this dubious practice smothering the flames helping stoke the opioid addiction fire. Since 1999, deaths from prescription opioids have quadrupled, alongside opioid sales of painkillers such as oxycodone (Oxycontin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin). But this hasn’t stopped opioid abusing patients from trying to nab a couple of extra pills by ‘doctor shopping,’ the practice of hopping from physician to physician and playing the numbers until finding a doctor who will meet the patient’s desire for a few extra pills. Luckily states nationwide, alongside the insurance and healthcare community, are becoming increasingly aware of these issues, and are attempting to stem this contributing facet of the epidemic through the use of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). And a new study has shown them astonishingly successful.

An Easy-to-Use, Effective Means of Curbing ‘Doctor Shopping’

Physicians utilizing these state-run electronic prescription databases, mandatory in some states and voluntary in others, offers them access to each patients prescription history, and the opportunity to see drug types and quantities prescribed to patients before breaking out the prescription pad. In addition to thwarting potentially deadly drug interactions and excessive dosages, a recent study has shown that these programs are highly effective for reducing the non-medical prescription of drugs, boasting a whopping 80% reduction in the odds two (or more) doctors would dole out pain relievers for non-medical reasons to a single patient in states with mandatory PDMP use, and slashing the odds 56% in states with voluntary participation. Every state except Missouri now has one of these programs. Other studies have also shown states tracking a wider range of potentially addictive medications and updating databases weekly witnessed the biggest reduction in overdose deaths.

Won’t Patients Turn to Illicit Substances?

Public health advocates have had this worry for quite some time, but the current study pointing to the massive, 80% reduction in non-medical prescription of opioids in those states with mandatory programs also uncovered some reassuring news. PDMPs did not, in fact, lead to an increase in doctor shopping individuals turning to heroin. This offers hope for the promise of PDMPs as part-and-parcel of a multifaceted, comprehensive strategy toward fighting the nation’s opioid epidemic, which steals the lives of 91 Americans each day.


About the Author: Anthony Sambucini is a founding principal and the Chief Executive Officer of ANS Solutions. Anthony specializes in bridging the goals of clinical innovation and business strategy that have helped propel ANS Solutions into a national leader in Pharmacotherapy Review Services for workers’ comp insurers and ANS Pharmacotherapy Review Program is the most advanced, results-oriented drug utilization review program in the industry. As a consultant to insurance carriers and attorneys, Anthony customizes services based on the particular needs of the client and oversees all activities related to business development and company operations. For more information about ANS Solutions visit http://ans-solutions.com/.


Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/how-does-doctor-shopping-impact-the-opioid-epidemic/

Medical Marijuana Vs. Big Pharma

Increasingly gaining ground as an accepted medicine by top health associations, researchers, and medical journals, the marijuana industry continues its massive expansion, with legalization encompassing more than half the U.S. Predicted to expand nationwide by 2021 by investment firm The Motley Fool, other sectors of the economy are feeling the strain of the industry’s new growth – but no one greater than Big Pharma.

Marijuana & Pharmaceutical Market Share

In an effort to determine how cannabis cash flow is effecting the pharmaceutical industry, researchers at the University of Georgia uncovered just how much of the pharmaceutical pie is being gobbled-up in medical marijuana states – and the results were stark: The average doctor in cannabis-friendly states prescribed 265 fewer dosages of antidepressants, 486 less anti-seizure meds, 541 fewer anti-nausea doses, 562 less anti-anxiety meds, and a whopping 1,826 less doses of pain medications, saving the government’s Medicare Part-D program an estimated $165 million on prescription pills. Taking that total nationwide, an estimated $470 million would disappear from Big Pharma’s annual revenue from this avenue alone.

Expanding Data on Marijuana & Opioids Worrisome for Pharma

A 2014 JAMA study stated opiate overdoses dropped roughly 25% in states with legalized medical marijuana, implying patients may be using it for pain treatment – or to lessen their painkiller load. According to according to the report in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, legalization states also failed to see the expected influx of pot smokers through hospital doors – instead experiencing a decline in hospitalization rates for opioid abuse and overdoses, which dropped 23% and 13% respectively, on average.

Fighting Legalization While Simultaneously Developing Synthetic Cannabis Drugs

This big dip in pharmaceutical purchases is hitting Big Pharma hard, and combined with industry interests, is fueling massive donations to anti-marijuana campaigns, making Purdue Pharma (OxyContin) and Abbot Laboratories (Vicodin) some of the largest contributors to the Anti-Drug Coalition of America. Now infamous, Insys Therapeutics, Inc. (Fentanyl), who currently faces multiple federal and state investigations for aggressive sales and marketing practices, donated $500,000 to Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, helping eke out a narrow 51-49 block of Arizona’s 2016 legalization attempt, and making it the only state in which legalization failed in 2016 voting. One of the largest individual contributions to any anti-legalization campaign in history, just five months later Insys won approval for a cannabis-derived pharmaceutical – an anti-nausea drug for AIDS patients – causing cannabis market leaders to reflect on the ethics of Big Pharma’s positioning, and why it has been favored by the DEA and FDA over plants that have already proven effective, safer, and cheaper than prescription drugs.

Stacking the Deck

Few have the resources necessary for this level of lobbying, or to manage the massive fees and extensive oversight necessary to work with the DEA and FDA for testing marijuana usage and product development – but Big Pharma does. It has achieved approval for other drugs in the past, including synthetic THC med Marinol for cancer and AIDS patients. Two cannabis-infused chewing gums by AXIM Biotech now currently await approval for IBS and MS treatment, as well as a topical for eczema/psoriasis. Kannalife Sciences is also developing new drugs for degenerative brain conditions (hepatic/chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Once approved, the drugs are classified separately from Schedule I whole plant marijuana products, their kissing cannabis cousins, and 100% legal with a script.

Are You Ready for a Changing of the Tides?

The workers compensation world is sure to experience turmoil over the upcoming years as changing legislation and front runners in the marketplace scramble for their share of the pie.

About the Author:  Anthony Sambucini is a founding principal and the Chief Executive Officer of ANS Solutions. Anthony specializes in bridging the goals of clinical innovation and business strategy that have helped propel ANS Solutions into a national leader in Pharmacotherapy Review Services for workers’ comp insurers. As a consultant to insurance carriers and attorneys, Anthony customizes services based on the particular needs of the client and oversees all activities related to business development and company operations. For more information visit http://ans-solutions.com .

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/medical-marijuana-vs-big-pharma/

Medical Marijuana and the Workers Compensation Conundrum – Part 1

Because the U.S. Federal Government has dug-in its feet, leaving marijuana as an illegal, Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, state governments have been left to individually pave their own legalization paths, leaving a frustrated public in the wake. Employers, employees, doctors, workers comp case managers, and more feel frustratingly in-the-dark as ever-diversified, continually evolving legislation continues to change the landscape. This is the first post of our two part series of spotlighting medical marijuana in the marketplace.

What We Do Know About Medical Marijuana

Though state laws vary widely on the amount of legal possession and personal cultivation for medical use, to-date 29 states and D.C. have legalized marijuana for medical use, including 8 states who’ve legalized its use recreationally. For medicinal purposes, marijuana has been scientifically confirmed effective for pain relief, appetite stimulation, nausea control, and reducing ocular pressure. It is arguably cheaper and less addictive than opioids, however both research and quality control are lacking. For injured workers and those in the workers’ comp industry, its most-likely application is pain relief, however it’s typically not be the first drug in the treatment lineup for prescribing physicians.

What’s Murky About Medical Marijuana and Workers' Compensation

Marijuana dispensing differs from run-of-the-mill pharmaceuticals, with product obtained from dispensaries or home growth, not pharmacies, leading to a gap in patient information on potentially dangerous drug interactions. Patient protections also remain muddy. Still illegal under federal law, stateside court rulings are chaotic. Fifteen states offer little to no employee protection, while 11 states explicitly provide protections from retaliatory actions to limits on drug testing from employers. Furthermore, all states with medical marijuana have pending legislation and litigation that could have a broad impact on the workplace, creating a landscape reminiscent of the Wild West.

Who’s Paying For Medical Marijuana Prescriptions?

Who knows? Medical marijuana’s Schedule I status prohibits its inclusion in the National Drug Code, leaving Medicaid and Medicare patients on the sidelines. This lack of regulation also equates to a dearth of coding, complicating processing for pharmacy benefits managers. And state-by-state case law for prescription coverage from employer-sponsored coverage to workers’ comp, like employee protection legislation, also varies widely.

Who’s Got a Headache?

Employers. Though there is federal protection backing drug-free workplace policies, including “zero-tolerance” for specific jobs such as heavy equipment operators, pilots, and surgeons, ever-changing legislation makes it difficult for employers to figure out which end is up. In the meantime, knowledge of state-specific legislation remains key to compliance, with an attitude of managing medical marijuana like any other powerful legal prescription drug that could impair mental capacity a logical choice: Accommodate the needs of injured workers – but uphold a safe work environment, as always. ANS Solutions Medical Cost Containment Programs are the only end to end pharmaceutical cost containment programs in the industry that genuinely put the patient first, while minimizing the cost of settlement in large loss workers’ comp claims. 

About the Author:  Anthony Sambucini is a founding principal and the Chief Executive Officer of ANS Solutions. Anthony specializes in bridging the goals of clinical innovation and business strategy that have helped propel ANS Solutions into a national leader in Pharmacotherapy Review Services for workers’ comp insurers. As a consultant to insurance carriers and attorneys, Anthony customizes services based on the particular needs of the client and oversees all activities related to business development and company operations. For more information about ANS Solutions visit http://ans-solutions.com/.

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/medical-marijuana-and-the-workers-compensation-conundrum-part-1/

How Technology Is Shaping The Workers’ Compensation Industry

The technology now used within today’s workers’ comp industry is remarkable compared to what was available just a few decades prior. A dominant component of advocacy, claims, and treatment, technology is helping employers and insurers work the bugs out of the process, producing amazing results and the promise of even more unbelievable advancements on the horizon…

How is Technology Reshaping the Workers Compensation Industry?

• Paper Falls by the Wayside
  • NOW: Endless forms and lost paperwork are no longer, replaced by automated forms, electronic signatures and correspondence that is both faster and easily trackable.
  • LATER: Lengthy, written legalese explanations will be replaced by clearer video demonstrations. Avatars, virtual assistants, and chat will become more commonplace.
• “Smart” Tech Takes Over
  • NOW: Smartphones and mobile devices empower injured workers, offering personal claims reporting, teledoctor consultations and referrals, status and payment checks, virtual correspondence examiners/case managers, and easy access to information via chat/messaging. This faster reporting and assessment speeds treatment, lowering pain severity and costs, and boosting network penetration.
  • LATER: Wearable Tech will become increasingly common in the workplace, from high-tech safety vests and helmets to watches that identify fatigue, repetitive motions, and even alert employees of dangerous situations. For the injured, mobile self-service tools will encourage a more active role in recovery and return-to-work, and the introduction of digital wallets will offer more convenient access to prescriptions.
• Automation Moves Things Along
  • NOW: Triggered by specific claims events, automated correspondence speeds the process with real-time text/email notifications, boosting productivity and claimant satisfaction.
  • LATER: Tech driven by “empathetic” artificial intelligence will aid claimants, further reducing workloads.
• Video Trumps Phone Communication
  • NOW: Employers, claims professionals, nurses, and attorneys can more easily communicate remotely and interactively.
  • LATER: The transition to a more personal video telepresence will boost efficiency and improve interactions, making them more personable.
• Analytics Provide Greater Insight
  • NOW: Predictive analysis through text mining is granting ever-faster access to previously unknown variables, identifying cost triggers (opioid use, comorbidities), and unearthing previously unidentified information.
  • LATER: Prescriptive analytics will come into play, implementing new tech that prescribes successful and actionable intervention techniques.

Exciting Times, Amazing Opportunities

The industry and employers are capitalizing on this wave of technological change. When was the last time you initiated change in your workers’ compensation medical cost containment strategy? ANS Solutions’ streamlined Pharmacotherapy Review program has a proven track record for improving efficiency, reducing costs by over 25% with a success ratio of 94%, yielding a guaranteed return-on-investment of 20-to-1 through our Guarantee Program. Centered around maximizing treatment outcomes for injured workers, our unique, multi-faceted approach delivers cost-effective, proven treatment solutions that make a lasting, positive impact on the overall employee workers’ comp experience. Blaze a new trail in this innovative era. Contact http://www.ans-solutions.com today.

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/how-technology-is-shaping-the-workers-compensation-industry/

Landmark Reforms Hoped to Aid New York in the Fight against Opioid Addiction

It is hoped to be a happier new year for Empire State residents suffering from opioid abuse. In a landmark legislative package that took effect January 1st of this year, health insurance plans will now be required to cover treatment services to New Yorkers suffering opioid addiction. In a state plagued by the effects of opioids and heroin, whose overdose death rates are far outpacing nearly every state in the union, legislators are hopeful those grappling with the effects of these drugs can finally gain access to the help they need in overcoming addiction.

The Plan to Expand Access to Opioid Addiction Care

Signed into law by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the reforms are expected to remove burdensome treatment access barriers, help expand prevention strategies from within communities, and limit opioid over-prescriptions statewide. What is the governor’s Heroin and Opioid Task Force plan to stamp out abuse?

• Insurance-Related Protections
  • Insurance pre-authorization no longer required for immediate access to inpatient care and (emergency) drug treatment medications when needed.
  • Utilization review (insurance) cannot become involved until after 14 days of uninterrupted treatment.
  • Insurers must use objective, state-approved criteria when making coverage determinations.
  • Opioid-reversal medication coverage is mandated.
  • Requirements apply to small, large group, and individual plans regulated by the DFS.
• Addiction Treatment Services Enhancements
  • Individuals incapacitated by drugs can now receive 72, not 48 hours of emergency treatment and evaluation.
  • Hospitals are now required to provide follow-up service at discharge, connecting at-risk patients with nearby treatment options for continuous care.
  • Trained professionals no longer risk licensure when administering naloxone in emergencies.
  • Wraparound services (legal, support, transportation, childcare) have been expanded to support long-term recovery.
• Community Prevention Strategies
  • Prescription limits reduced from 30 to 7 day supply maximum (with exceptions).
  • Required continuing education for all physicians/prescribers on addiction/pain management.
  • Pharmacists must provide materials on addiction risks and nearby treatment services.
  • Opioid overdoses and overdose medication use must be reported quarterly.

Ensuring Appropriate Treatment Options For Opioid Addiction 

Much like the measures put forth by the state of New York, ANS Solutions’ Pharmacotherapy Review Program strives to uphold appropriate treatment options for patients, offering protection against opioid dangers with a three-stage approach to injury recovery that far-surpasses drug utilization review. Comprehensive and effective, it both protects against unnecessary expenses and safeguards patient treatment outcomes. Utilizing personal, face-to-face communication and integrative case-management methods, over-prescription of dangerous narcotics and potentially deadly drug-to-drug interactions commonly experienced with multiple prescribers can be prevented, success achieved with evidence-based treatment protocols and cemented by written proposal to achieve maximum results.

Don’t stand on the sidelines of the epidemic. Take part in the solution. Reinvent the way you handle claims with the help of ANS Solutions today.

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/landmark-reforms-hoped-to-aid-new-york-in-the-fight-against-opioid-addiction/

Bipartisan Opioid Abuse Bill

In an effort to reverse the rapidly rising death toll from heroin, prescription drugs, and opioids across the U.S. which has recently risen to surpass automobile accidents as the leading cause of injury-related deaths according to the CDC, legislation has been drafted in a rare bipartisan effort.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA)
Designed to strengthen prescription drug monitoring programs, better trace the diversion of opioid drugs, and increase promotion and access to addiction recovery services, CARA will also open up a variety of prevention and treatment avenues:

• Prevention and education efforts designed to prevent methamphetamine, opioid, and heroin abuse.
• Increased availability of Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal agent, to first responders and law enforcement personnel.
• Disposal sites for unwanted prescriptions.
• Resources to identify and treat incarcerated individuals suffering opioid-related addiction disorders.

Well On Its Way
The bill has been approved by the House and the Senate, with both parties offering broad support. It is the first time in decades Congress has passed comprehensive addiction legislation, and the first time in history they’ve supported long-term addiction recovery. CARA is now on its way to the President’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law. Mr. Obama has already requested $1.1 billion in funds toward the fight against opioid addiction.

Taking Action
Do you wish there was something you could do now to help in the fight against the nation’s continually rising opioid epidemic? You don’t have to wait on CARA to start making a difference. ANS Solutions proprietary Pharmacotherapy Review helps curtail costly and potentially dangerous pharmaceutical treatment regimens, ensuring optimal patient outcomes through expert knowledge and evidence-based, alternative treatment methods devised face-to-face with the help of treating doctors. Discover the difference an actionable drug utilization review can make. Contact http://www.ans-solutions.com today.

Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/bipartisan-opioid-abuse-bill/

Putting the Injured Worker First

In the workman’s comp industry, significant effort is put toward breaking the pharmaceutical cost cycle for Payers. As the industry fights for savings, however, injured workers often get lost in the shuffle. The nameless and faceless many among worker’s comp injury statistics are quite removed from the system they rely upon.

Bottom Line Statistics Means Poor Outcomes for Injured Workers

As political pundits fight for special interests, benefit caps are set with no relation to each state’s average weekly wage, ignoring improved wage data and analytical methods that could mend take-home benefits in favor of maintaining the status quo. In addition, research undertaken by the worker’s comp industry often passes over the injured workers themselves, focusing on bottom-line statistics. Typical drug utilization review programs further compound this focus, overlooking patient and prescriber history and offering little to no treatment compliance monitoring, thus yielding poor outcomes for all parties involved.

There is a silver lining however, organizations such as the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), the California Workers’ Compensation Institute, and the National Council for Compensation Insurance are attempting to remove the industry’s blinders with improved studies centered on cost containment and service delivery, offering evidence based data on medications, surgeries and providers in an effort to improve care for patients while curtailing costs.

Ensuring the Best Possible Outcomes

ANS’s Pharmacotherapy Review offers more than clinically-proven drug alternatives that reduce Payers’ costs. Our three pronged approach to claim management is much more comprehensive than the industry standard drug utilization review. Improving the quality of life and care of the injured worker is a driving force behind the development of our proprietary pharmacotherapy review program.

• Focusing on the well-being of the injured worker.
• Consolidating and coordinating drug therapies by multiple prescribers to uncover unnecessary or duplicate treatments.
• Providing alternate therapies with less associated risk factors.
• Uncovering potential risk addiction behaviors.
• Offering weaning programs to help combat the over-prescription of narcotics (opioids).

Embrace change for the betterment of all. Find out more about our innovative drug utilization program today by visiting www.ans-solutions.com.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/putting-the-injured-worker-first/

CDC Opioid Guidelines Sheds Light on Conflicting Expert Opinions

The CDCs latest opioid prescribing guidelines, released this March, were created with the goal of achieving balance between the analgesic and addictive properties of opioid analgesics, to uphold the safety as well as meet the pain management needs of the public at large. Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding these guidelines points to a detrimental issue at the crux of their implementation: A fractured field – two expert, yet conflicting, schools of thought on the current opioid policy.

• Treating chronic pain with a wider range of treatments, as opposed to relying mainly on opioid regimens.
• Avoiding the use of high dose prescriptions, as well as the combined prescription of opioids and benzodiazepines, to reduce the risk of overdose.
• Providing addiction treatment when necessary (methadone, buprenorphine).

There are two conflicting schools of thought regarding treatment approaches to opioids…

1. Reduce Pain and Suffering.
   This paradigm stems from an aggressive movement in the 1990s wherein physicians trained in pain management and palliative care were instructed to be sympathetic to pain. Enforced by the belief that those in true pain would not become addicted and reinforced by pharmaceutical companies and federal agencies pointing to pain as “the fifth vital sign,” this movement missed the boat on understanding the serious risks of opioid addiction.
2. Prevent and Treat Addiction.
   Driven by addiction specialists, who lacked an understanding of the seriousness of debilitating and chronic pain and whose priorities were vastly different than pain and palliative care physicians, practitioners of this model had a more thorough understanding of the addictive risks of opioid regimens. They watched the sales of opioid prescriptions quadruple from 1999-2010 - alongside the rate of overdose deaths. Though the need for a rapid public health response remained apparent, insufficient evidence on safe stoppage procedures for opioid regimens existed. Dissention among experts as to the seriousness of the problem and how to address also further muddied the waters.

The Fulcrum between Analgesia and Addiction

Though the CDC’s recently released guidelines are as strong as they can currently be, opioid pain treatment regimens – and addiction treatments – continue to be a work in progress. The fractured nature of this field reflects the reason changes were such a long time coming. A multidisciplinary approach will be as essential to working out the kinks as they were to the development of the CDC’s recently released guidelines, as all parties involved strive to save lives and ensure quality of care.

Are you looking for more advanced and comprehensive medical cost containment strategies that protect patient outcomes while also reducing the costs associated with pain management in workers compensation claims? ANS Solutions’ pharmacotherapy review program can help.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/cdc-opioid-guidelines-sheds-light-on-conflicting-expert-opinions/

Key Takeaways from a Recent National Safety Council Survey

Subsequent to the CDC’s new guidelines regarding the treatment of chronic pain, The National Safety Council (NSC) released its latest survey regarding doctor prescribing practices. Summarized below, the statistics:

CDC Guidelines: Use non-opioid therapies first.
NSC Stats: 74% of doctors erroneously believe opioids (morphine, oxycodone) are the most effective way to treat pain.

The Missing Link: Research shows OTC pain meds (ibuprofen, acetaminophen) offer the most effective relief for acute pain.

CDC Guidelines: Do not use opioids for the routine treatment of chronic pain.
NSC Stats: 67% of doctors base there prescribing practices – in part – on patient expectations.

The Missing Link: Patients are often unaware – and doctors wary to inform them – of the effectiveness of alternative treatments for pain. 50% of those patients would return to those prescribers offering alternative treatment.

CDC Guidelines: No longer than 3 days of opioid treatment, beginning with the lowest effective dose.
NSC Stats: 99% of doctors are prescribing these highly addictive drugs for longer than the CDCs recommended time frame – 23% for at least a month.
The Missing Link: Though doctors have the best interests of patients at heart, additional education and training on effective pain management are integral to curbing the rising opioid epidemic.

CDC Guidelines: Address harms of opioid use and assess risk for abuse prior to opioid therapy.
NSC Stats: 84% screen for abuse.
The Missing Link: Only 32% screen for a family history of addiction – a strong indicator.

CDC Guidelines: Re-evaluate risks of continued therapy regularly.
NSC Stats: 99% of doctors have seen a pill-seeking patient – only 32% refer pill-seekers to treatment.
The Missing Link(s): 88% of doctors find referrals overly difficult due to patient unwillingness to cooperate, lack of insurance coverage for such treatments, long wait lists, or lack of providers.

Actionable Treatment Recommendations

ANS's Pharmacotherapy Review Program employs a three staged approach to ensure economically balanced and appropriate treatment options for injured workers. Our legal nurse experts are able to present actionable treatment modification recommendations in a written proposal to treating physicians. Key items of interest covered through the recommendations include:

• Consolidation and coordination of drug therapies between multiple prescribers.
• Consideration of alternate therapies.
• Specification of weaning programs for over-prescribed narcotics.
• Use of generics where applicable.

The end result is a cost effective treatment regimen that simultaneously enhances the quality of care for injured workers. To find out more contact ANS today.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/key-takeaways-from-a-recent-national-safety-council-survey/

Effective Pharma Management Can Help Offset Increases in Prescription Costs

2015 saw rising drug prices contributing to the growth in pharmacy spending for American workers’ compensation payers. Meanwhile, opioid and compound drug cost management continues to be an Achilles heel. An effective pharma cost management program can offset these costs by aiming to improve pain treatment regimens for injured workers.

Pharmacotherapy Review Can Reduce Opioid Spend

Opioids continue to be the costliest class of medications for occupational injuries. To combat the rise in opioid utilization in chronic pain treatment of injured workers, ANS introduced a face-to-face and highly proactive approach to addressing pain physician prescribing practices.  Known as Pharmacotherapy review, it starts with an extensive review of the injured workers’ medical history along with their existing pain treatment regimen and historical physician treatment practices. An ANS Legal Nurse expert with intimate case familiarity visits the doctor in person at their office and negotiates an evidence supported pharmacy regime in a face-to-face and collaborative interaction. The treatment recommendations agreed to during this process not only contribute to reduced opioid prescriptions but often enhance the quality of care and life for injured workers with more risk averse and often more appropriate treatment alternatives.

Combating Rising Compounded Medication Costs

In 2015, the average cost for payers of compounded medications per prescription hovered around $2,000. The cost is high and so are the risks to patients:

• Compounded drugs are not federally regulated and product quality assessments are lacking unlike their FDA-approved counterparts.
• Compounded drugs are not clinically evaluated for safety or efficacy.
• Compounded preparations do not have standard product labeling or prescribing information with instructions for safe use.
• Compounding pharmacies are not required to report adverse events to the FDA
• Potential errors in the preparation of compounded drugs can and have caused adverse effects on patients.

Due to the unnecessary risks compounded drugs pose to patients these products are not considered first-line therapies in the treatment of injured workers. ANS Solutions leads the way in providing medical cost containment strategies that help our clients ensure that pain treatment therapies are appropriate, safe and economically responsibly. By managing compounded medications, clients can reduce unnecessary costs and mitigate the potential harmful effects to patient safety caused by pain physician prescribing habits.

Optimized Financial and Patient Outcomes

ANS medical cost containment programs work uniquely to address these and other legal issues that ensure the most rapid and cost reduced settlement of claims in the industry. Our proven strategies are so effective we offer a 1 million dollar pilot program performance guarantee, completely risk free.  To learn more contact us today or visit www.ans-solutions.com.

 

This content was originally published at http://ans-solutions.com/effective-pharma-management-can-help-offset-increases-in-prescription-costs/

6 Ways Pain Management is Mismanaged

There is a significant body of evidence suggesting that many Americans suffer from chronic pain and much of that pain is inadequately or ineffectively treated. Particularly in the case of chronic pain treatment via opioid analgesics, proper chronic pain management is critical in determining whether opioids are used in a manner that is both medically appropriate and in compliance with regulations. Pain management is an important area of patient care that is integral to the practice of medicine, yet so often it is mismanaged. Here we review six most common ways pain is mismanaged:

• Inadequate attention to patient education and informed consent. Deciding to begin opioid therapy for chronic pain should only be made after a physician and patient discuss the risks. Pain patients should have a clear understanding that the clinical basis for the use of these medications for chronic pain is limited, risk of addiction is real, and that taking opioids with other substances or certain conditions (i.e. depression or a history of substance abuse) may further increase risk.
• Inadequate attention to initial assessment. A proper assessment will help to determine if an opioid based pain treatment regime is medically appropriate and necessary. It will also help in uncovering risks associated with use for a particular individual.
• Inadequate monitoring during the use of habit forming medications. Due to its highly addictive and dangerous nature, opioids are associated with drug addiction and abuse. Chronic pain treatment benefit from opioid dose reductions or tapering or weaning off the opioid.
• Excessive reliance on opioids for chronic pain management without adequate attention to alternative treatments. Prescribers should use opioid therapy only when safer and equally as effective alternative therapies prove to be ineffective.
• Baseless dosage increases without adequate attention to risks or alternative treatments. The risks associated with opioids increase with higher doses and even more in conjunction with other comorbidities (i.e. mental illnesses, respiratory disorders, pre-existing substance use disorder and sleep apnea) and with concurrent use with respiratory depressants such as benzodiazepines or alcohol.
• Lack of utilization of available tools or lack of knowledge of available tools for risk mitigation. Our Pharmacotherpay Review program uncovers major issues including duplicate therapies, dangerous or deadly drug interactions, or behaviors related to drug addiction. All of which can have a dramatic impact on a patient’s health.

ANS Pharmacotherapy Review

A well informed physician’s practice can improve safety and the outcome of chronic pain treatment for patients. This is an area where the expert medical cost containment solutions of ANS Solutions can help. Our Pharmacotherapy Review Program provides three highly effective stages that not only contribute to lower medical costs in workers’ compensation claims, but greatly enhance the quality of life and care for injured workers.

For more information, visit www.ans-solutions.com.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/6-ways-pain-management-is-miss-managed/

Abuse Deterrent Opioids a New Era of Opioid Drug Development

The prevalence of opioid use and abuse has led to a new era of opioid drug development: Abuse deterrent (AD) opioids.

The goal?....

Maintain the efficacy of opioid formulations while improving their ability to deter abuse. Following guidelines developed by the FDA to categorize new opioid formulations, pharmaceutical companies are now on a quest to develop tomorrow’s safety net against opioid abuse.

How will the FDA be categorizing these new AD opioid formulations?

1. Physical/chemical barriers
   Physical barriers that prevent the crushing, cutting, grating, grinding, or chewing of opioid formulations, alone or in combination with chemical barriers, which can resist extraction with common solvents (water, alcohol, organic solvents).
2. Agonist/antagonist combinations
   Formulations with the addition of an opioid antagonist, released only when opioid drugs are manipulated. When triggered, the agonists “interfere with, reduce, or defeat” opioid induced euphoria commonly associated with abuse.
3. Aversion
   The addition of a noxious component to formulations to produce an unpleasant effect when opioids are manipulated, or when a higher dose than prescribed is consumed. (For example, a nasal irritant to deter snorting.)
4. Prodrug 
   Biologically inactive substances metabolized inside the body to their active form: That is, the drug must be taken by its intended route and form in order to be properly metabolized.
5. Delivery system
   The implementation of more difficult to manipulate drug delivery systems, such as subcutaneous implants, depot injectable formulations, beads within a capsule, and erodible matrix technology.
6. Combination of 2 or more of the above
   Combining 2 or more of the above methods to decrease the likelihood of abuse.

More questions than answers

Though AD technology is advancing, it continues to carry with it an onslaught of unmet expectations/unanswered questions…

• Is making an uncrushable pill really going to curb opioid abuse when it can be consumed in other ways?
• Why aren't efforts being made to explore more economically responsible, alternative therapies that don't involve any form of opioids at all?
• Will this approach yield enough penetration in the chronic pain treatment community to persuade physicians and patients to switch from their current prescriptions to abuse deterrent forms?

Helping curb the opioid epidemic

Only time will tell how the development of AD opioids will progress and effect the growing opioid abuse epidemic. Fortunately, you don’t have to await developing AD technology to take steps towards making a positive change. Readily available programs, including ANS expert nurse consulting and pharmacotherapy review can help you better address the need of pain patients, providing better outcomes, faster recovery times, and less risk than common opioid treatment regimens.

Ready to be part of the change? Contact ANS today and learn more about how ANS Pharmacotherapy Review can provide superior results for injured workers. Visit us at www.ans-solutions.com for more information.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/abuse-deterrent-opioids-a-new-era-of-opioid-drug-development/

Strategies to Reduce Patient Reliance on Opioids Postoperatively

Surgeons across the nation are increasing efforts to reduce their overall use of opioids for the long term treatment of chronic pain post-operatively. The driving force- Curtailing the opioid abuse epidemic, an unfortunate but growing trend.

Well-Documented Risks

An epidemic effecting 5 million Americans, half of all opioid-related overdose deaths in the U.S. have been linked to prescription drugs – not “street” or “recreational” drugs. Opioid use, even short term, is particularly problematic for patients with a history of substance abuse.

Changing Practices

Seeing the effects of this epidemic, many surgeons are taking steps to better help patients manage the healing process without potentiating future substance abuse issues. To that end, treatment strategies have emerged to reduce patient reliance on opioids postoperatively. Some of these methods include:

• A reduction in the use of opioids for the short-term management, including the time period two to three days post-op, to prevent the potential for abuse and misuse.
• Pre and perioperative treatment strategies designed to reduce patient reliance on opioids for moderate to severe post-op pain (commonly the first line of therapy).
• The implementation of patient pain contracts to engage patients in their own care and formally educate them on pain management, compliance, prescription use, and routine drug monitoring.
• ERAS (enhanced recovery after surgery) protocol, incorporating the use of short-acting anesthetics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Exparel, Pacira), ileus control, invasive monitoring, and intensive care treatment combined with minimally invasive surgical techniques designed to enhance post-op recovery by preventing problems resulting from exaggerated inflammatory reactions to procedures (poor healing, infections, organ dysfunction). This technique has been associated with an improved postoperative length of stay and morbidity and reduced reliance on opioids post-operatively.

A Study in Possibilities

A recent study shows how even simple changes may affect opioid use. In the study, a pink reminder card was included in patient files to encourage hand surgeons to discuss with patients prior to surgery postoperative pain management options, explain the risk of opioids, and recommend alternatives. The card – and subsequent discussions - netted a 15% decrease in opioid prescriptions written. Likewise, a survey of dermatologic surgeons found 64% of surgeons prescribing opioids post-operatively for fewer than 10% of surgical patients.

Looking Ahead

While this is a good place to start in the fight against opioid epidemic, when it comes to chronic pain and workers compensation claims, a true drug utilization review program can also contribute to enhancing the quality of treatment and reducing medical costs. ANS Solutions drug utilization review program through pharmacotherapy review is the most advanced of its kind. To find out more about our effective medical cost containment strategies contact us today or visit www.ans-solutions.com.

This content was originally posted at http://ans-solutions.com/strategies-to-reduce-patient-reliance-on-opioids-postoperatively/

References

Dunleavy, Brian. Curbing Opioids Postoperatively, an Increasing Focus of Many Surgeons. PainMedicineNews.com; November 26, 2015.