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/

Patient Engagement Encouraged through Prescription Drug Label Enhancements

Upcoming improvements to prescription drug labeling are hoped to positively affect patient care across the board. Intentionally kept in the dark on the ingredients and indications of prescription drugs for well-over 100 years, the healthcare industry is shifting from the past’s blind trust to finally realizing today’s modern paradigm: Engaging patients as active participants in their own healthcare endeavors.
Small Label, Big Impact
Improving the synchronization between in-office care and home care, the FDA’s latest labeling procedures will not only help patients under a physician’s care better understand why each medication is being prescribed, clearly listing indications on each prescription drug product’s label, but offer a vast array of opportunities for the betterment of treatment regimes, helping…
In the understanding of prescription regimens and scheduling.

• Verify each prescription is effective/providing benefits for its intended purpose.
• Reduce confusion following brief or rushed clinic encounters.
• Make the identification of drugs easier to allow for proper use/best practices.
• Reduce the incidence of over-prescription, duplicate or unnecessary medications.
• Keep not only patients, but caregivers, pharmacists, and other treating physicians in-the-know on conditions being treated and desired outcomes.
• Improve safety by reducing prescription or dispensing errors.

The Missing Link
This added information, “knowledge” (dubbed the “sixth” patient right in a recent publication of The New England Journal of Medicine), is bringing to light details which have previously fallen through the cracks in today’s modern world of typically rushed, commonly overcomplicated healthcare regimens. Information critical to the patient’s understanding of why a medication has been prescribed and for what conditions or purposes, allowing for a clearer assessment of efficacy for all involved parties.
Are You Living In The Dark?
At ANS Solutions, we also understand the benefits of synchronicity in patient care. The role this plays in in treatment progression, effectiveness, and quality of life from the treatment of routine health issues to return-to-work programs for injured workers is second-to-none. That’s why our industry standard pharmacotherapy review program focuses on face-to-face collaborative care, built upon the integrative collaboration of all effected parties, from the injured worker to our skilled nurse experts and treating physicians, allowing us to produce the very best outcomes in the business with the latest in clinically-proven treatment regimens.
Healthcare costs and injured workers ailing? Uncover a new era in workers’ comp treatment. Contact http://www.ans-solutions.com today.
Sources:

• http://www.painmedicinenews.com/Web-Only/Article/08-16/Adding-Medication-Purpose-to-Prescription-Drug-Labels-Improves-Patient-Safety/37249/ses=ogst

 Original content posted on http://ans-solutions.com/patient-engagement-encouraged-through-prescription-drug-label-enhancements/