Articles: opioid.
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J Psychoactive Drugs · Apr 2017
Commercial Health Plan Coverage of Selected Treatments for Opioid Use Disorders from 2003 to 2014.
Opioid use disorders (OUDs) are receiving significant attention in the U. S. as a public health crisis. Access to treatment for OUDs is essential and was expected to improve following implementation of the federal parity law and the Affordable Care Act. ⋯ Results showed treatment for OUDs was covered by nearly all health plan products in each year of the survey, but the types and patterns varied by year. Prior authorization requirements for OTPs have decreased over time. Despite the promise of expanded access to OUD treatment suggested by parity and the ACA, improved health plan coverage for treatment of OUDs, while essential, is not sufficient to address the opioid crisis.
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Am Health Drug Benefits · Apr 2017
Comparing Healthcare Utilization and Costs Among Medicaid-Insured Patients with Chronic Noncancer Pain with and without Opioid-Induced Constipation: A Retrospective Analysis.
Constipation is a common adverse effect of opioid use and has been associated with increased healthcare utilization and costs among patients receiving opioids for pain management. ⋯ Among Medicaid enrollees who receive opioids for chronic noncancer pain, constipation is associated with increased all-cause healthcare utilization and costs.
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Drug-related overdoses are now the leading injury-related death in the USA, and many of these deaths are associated with illicit opioids and prescription opiate pain medication. This study uses multiple sources of data to examine accidental opioid overdoses across 6 years, 2010 through 2015, in Marion County, IN, an urban jurisdiction in the USA. The primary sources of data are toxicology reports from the county coroner, which reveal that during this period, the most commonly detected opioid substance was heroin. ⋯ Results suggest that there have been decreases in the number of opiate prescriptions dispensed and increases in law enforcement detection of both heroin and fentanyl. Consistent with recent literature, we suggest that increased regulation of prescription opiates reduced the likelihood of overdoses from these substances, but might have also had an iatrogenic effect of increasing deaths from heroin and fentanyl. We discuss several policy implications and recommendations for Indiana.
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Current literature describes the limits and pitfalls of using opioid pharmacotherapy for chronic pain and the importance of identifying alternatives. The objective of this study was to identify the practical issues patients and providers face when accessing alternatives to opioids, and how multiple parties view these issues. ⋯ These results suggest that education about realistic expectations for chronic pain management and therapy options, as well as making A/C care more easily accessible, might lead to more satisfaction for patients and providers, and provide important input to policy makers.