Barriers Rural Physicians Face Prescribing Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
A national study surveyed all rural physicians who have received a waiver in the United States and found that those who were not actively prescribing buprenorphine reported significantly more barriers than those who were. View the Abstract
STR-TA Requests Coming in Strong, Communities Working to Address the Opioid Overdose Crisis
The first few months of the State Targeted Response Technical Assistance (STR-TA) initiative provide insight into how much help is needed in local communities on the prevention, treatment and recovery of opioid use disorder. As a result, states and territories are responding to the STR-TA request center for innovative approaches to meet the need with […]
Opioid Prescribing to Adolescents in the United States From 2005 to 2016
Between 2005 and 2016, opioid prescriptions for adolescents generally were written for longer than three days, and the number of prescriptions filled for four and five day supplies increased, according to study by the American Psychiatry Association. Read Abstract
The State of Opioid Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
Despite efforts to increase availability of medication assisted treatment at the federal level, drug overdoses, particularly those of the opioid category, remain the leading cause of death in Americans younger than 50 years of age. Most of these involve synthetic opioids with a 540% increase in related deaths in the past 3 years… View full […]
Pennsylvania Hospital Becomes OUD Treatment Model After Working with PCSS During Pilot Program
Hanover Hospital and its affiliated healthcare clinics has become a model for how a healthcare system that is fully engaged in embracing evidence-based treatment of opioid use disorders can make significant change. A little more than a year ago, PCSS reached out to Hanover Hospital to participate in a five-state pilot program to create a […]
AAP Challenges Pediatric Surgeons to Cut Opioid Prescriptions at Discharge in Half
In March, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Surgery’s Executive Committee issued a six-month challenge to pediatric surgeons to decrease opioid prescribing by 50% at discharge. Not long ago, writing a prescription for opioids was routine practice following surgery, says Vivian Thorne, Manager, Division of Hospital and Surgical Services at AAP. With rising […]
2017 HHS Accomplishments on Opioids
Marking the end of the first year of the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report highlighting accomplishments from 2017. “In 2017, HHS took bold action to advance its mission to protect and enhance the health and well-being of the American people. From a newly aggressive approach to […]
Trump Administration Issues Guidance on Waivers of IMD Rule
Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a letter to State Medicaid Directors, outlining a new waiver process to allow Medicaid payment of broad range of services for opioid and other substance use disorders (SUD), including residential treatment. The letter, issued in response to President Trump’s declaration of an opioid public health […]
Multiple Naloxone Administrations Among Emergency Medical Service Providers is Increasing
Opioid overdoses are at epidemic levels in the United States. Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers may administer naloxone to restore patient breathing and prevent respiratory arrest. There was a need for contemporary data to examine the number of naloxone administrations in an EMS encounter. Read abstract ›
The Effectiveness of Injectable Extended-Release Naltrexone vs Daily Buprenorphine-Naloxone for Opioid Dependence
Are monthly intramuscular injections with extended-release naltrexone hydrochloride as effective as daily oral buprenorphine–naloxone hydrochloride in reducing the use of heroin and other illicit substances in newly detoxified, opioid-dependent individuals? Read abstract ›
