Written By: Kelly Buckman
It’s a scenario that is far too common these days. A well-meaning physician prescribes pain killers for a patient who has suffered an injury, with the expectation that the patient will only take the drug until their pain starts to subside. Too often, however, they continue to take the medication after the injury heals, and as a result, become addicted. When the patient can no longer obtain the prescription drug, the results may be catastrophic as in many cases, they turn to heroin or other opioid use, often fatally overdosing.
In fact, arguably the worst addiction crisis in American history, opioid addiction has reached epidemic proportions over the past several years, as healthcare providers struggle to adapt practices to reduce the chances of a patient becoming dependent on these drugs. In 2016 alone, there were more than 42,000 overdose deaths from addiction to legal painkillers and illegal drugs like heroin, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures. *
On a daily basis, 115 people in the US die from opioid overdose. **
There is also a financial toll. According to a 2017 Council of Economic Advisers report, the opioid crisis cost the nation $504 billion in economic losses in 2015, or 2.8 percent of the gross domestic product that year. The CDC estimates that opioid misuse costs $78.5 billion a year in the U.S., taking into account the cost of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement. All told, the epidemic has cost the U.S. more than 1 trillion dollars since 2001 according to a report by Altarum, a nonprofit healthcare systems research and consulting organization.***
No wonder addiction to opioids is considered a national crisis.
In response to an epidemic that is quickly overwhelming the healthcare industry, several organizations have taken steps to implement technological advances to control it.
Treatment
Telehealth, which has become increasingly popular in the healthcare industry in recent years, can improve access to addiction treatment services by making it possible for patients to receive such services remotely through videoconferencing and other methods.
What’s more, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) with integrated clinical decision support tools, real-time medication history, nationwide record locator and exchange services, electronic prescribing, patient-provider direct messaging, and real-time medication adherence insight alerts can help with appropriate opioid prescribing and improve outcomes.***
Prevention
Beyond assisting with treatment, several technological advances are underway to help prevent opioid abuse from occurring in the first place.
One such strategy in the works involves improving the ability of providers to share information about a patient’s drug use through prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). PDMPs are state-run databases that collect patient-specific prescription information at the point of dispensing. Data gets transmitted to a central repository where, in most states, authorized users such as medical professionals, public health agencies, regulatory bodies, and law enforcement agencies may access them. ****
PDMPs have the potential to provide powerful ammunition in the fight against opioid abuse, including:
-Improvement of prescribing practices
It’s a scenario that is far too common these days. A well-meaning physician prescribes pain killers for a patient who has suffered an injury, with the expectation that the patient will only take the drug until their pain starts to subside. Too often, however, they continue to take the medication after the injury heals, and as a result, become addicted. When the patient can no longer obtain the prescription drug, the results may be catastrophic as in many cases, they turn to heroin or other opioid use, often fatally overdosing.
In fact, arguably the worst addiction crisis in American history, opioid addiction has reached epidemic proportions over the past several years, as healthcare providers struggle to adapt practices to reduce the chances of a patient becoming dependent on these drugs. In 2016 alone, there were more than 42,000 overdose deaths from addiction to legal painkillers and illegal drugs like heroin, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures. *
On a daily basis, 115 people in the US die from opioid overdose. **
There is also a financial toll. According to a 2017 Council of Economic Advisers report, the opioid crisis cost the nation $504 billion in economic losses in 2015, or 2.8 percent of the gross domestic product that year. The CDC estimates that opioid misuse costs $78.5 billion a year in the U.S., taking into account the cost of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement. All told, the epidemic has cost the U.S. more than 1 trillion dollars since 2001 according to a report by Altarum, a nonprofit healthcare systems research and consulting organization.***
No wonder addiction to opioids is considered a national crisis.
In response to an epidemic that is quickly overwhelming the healthcare industry, several organizations have taken steps to implement technological advances to control it.
Treatment
Telehealth, which has become increasingly popular in the healthcare industry in recent years, can improve access to addiction treatment services by making it possible for patients to receive such services remotely through videoconferencing and other methods.
What’s more, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) with integrated clinical decision support tools, real-time medication history, nationwide record locator and exchange services, electronic prescribing, patient-provider direct messaging, and real-time medication adherence insight alerts can help with appropriate opioid prescribing and improve outcomes.***
Prevention
Beyond assisting with treatment, several technological advances are underway to help prevent opioid abuse from occurring in the first place.
One such strategy in the works involves improving the ability of providers to share information about a patient’s drug use through prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). PDMPs are state-run databases that collect patient-specific prescription information at the point of dispensing. Data gets transmitted to a central repository where, in most states, authorized users such as medical professionals, public health agencies, regulatory bodies, and law enforcement agencies may access them. ****
PDMPs have the potential to provide powerful ammunition in the fight against opioid abuse, including:
-Improvement of prescribing practices
-Giving providers a more comprehensive view of their patient’s medical history
-Reduction in “doctor shopping”, where patients consult with multiple providers in order to obtain prescriptions
-Lower rates of abuse (resulting in reduction in rate of admissions for substance abuse treatment. *****
Unfortunately, although many states have promoted use of PDMPs by registered prescribers and dispensers, PDMP data that has not been well integrated into health information technology (HIT) systems at the point of care for efficient workflow, along with limited sharing of data across states has caused healthcare providers who prescribe and dispense prescription opioids to be slow to adopt PDMP use. To increase use of PDMPs by healthcare professionals, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), funded projects in nine states between 2012 and 2016 through its PDMP Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Integration and Interoperability Expansion (PEHRIIE) program. This resulted in increased usage of PDMP to share data across states, a promising inroad in the prevention of opioid over-prescribing.
Another way in which technology is being utilized to prevent overuse of opioids is through Smartphone and internet-based applications such as e-Ouch that use online journals to improve communication between patient and healthcare provider, allowing more personalized care and enhanced pain management.
Lastly, medical technology companies are working to develop treatment methods that are minimally invasive and will make it possible for patients to recover more quickly with less pain and discomfort after surgery, reducing the need for opioid pain medication. ******
Education
Other applications provide online resources and blogs to educate patients in how to relieve pain through lifestyle modification. Electronic pain diary smartphone apps such as WebMD Pain Coach and Habit Changer allow the patient to make journal entries three times a day, using a scale to rate pain and log daily activities. The provider can then use this data to modify the patient’s current regimen and make suggestions for relieving pain that are based on his/her day to day activities. The benefit of these pain diaries is that they utilize real time data entry, which is more effective in helping patients adhere to treatment regimens and provides more reliable data than the traditional approach of having patients rely on memory to provide such details during medical appointments. *******
Each of these ways of using technology to stem the opioid epidemic represents an innovation in the fight to save lives. With a well-developed, evidence-based plan, utilization of proven healthcare technologies, and commitment, the healthcare industry can make inroads the war against this formidable enemy.
--
Kelly Buckman is a healthcare IT expert and field expert blogger for Barracuda Consulting.
Kelly has almost a decade of experience as a Technical Support Engineer/ Analyst in the field of Healthcare IT, over 20 years in IT Support, and several years of experience in Project Management. She has a B.A. from Mount Holyoke, Masters degree from UMass Amherst, and lists her skills as the ability to analyze and resolve various types of application, server and network issues, and to communicate complex ideas effectively.
She is also the mother of 3 sons, ages 19, 17, and 11, lives in western Massachusetts, and enjoys solving puzzles, reading, and travelling.
Please leave your comments below. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, click here: https://tinyletter.com/barracuda-consulting. To purchase a full report on this subject, or to access our complete suite of healthcare, and IT advisory services please contact us: https://www.barracuda-consulting.net/contact.
-Reduction in “doctor shopping”, where patients consult with multiple providers in order to obtain prescriptions
-Lower rates of abuse (resulting in reduction in rate of admissions for substance abuse treatment. *****
Unfortunately, although many states have promoted use of PDMPs by registered prescribers and dispensers, PDMP data that has not been well integrated into health information technology (HIT) systems at the point of care for efficient workflow, along with limited sharing of data across states has caused healthcare providers who prescribe and dispense prescription opioids to be slow to adopt PDMP use. To increase use of PDMPs by healthcare professionals, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), funded projects in nine states between 2012 and 2016 through its PDMP Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Integration and Interoperability Expansion (PEHRIIE) program. This resulted in increased usage of PDMP to share data across states, a promising inroad in the prevention of opioid over-prescribing.
Another way in which technology is being utilized to prevent overuse of opioids is through Smartphone and internet-based applications such as e-Ouch that use online journals to improve communication between patient and healthcare provider, allowing more personalized care and enhanced pain management.
Lastly, medical technology companies are working to develop treatment methods that are minimally invasive and will make it possible for patients to recover more quickly with less pain and discomfort after surgery, reducing the need for opioid pain medication. ******
Education
Other applications provide online resources and blogs to educate patients in how to relieve pain through lifestyle modification. Electronic pain diary smartphone apps such as WebMD Pain Coach and Habit Changer allow the patient to make journal entries three times a day, using a scale to rate pain and log daily activities. The provider can then use this data to modify the patient’s current regimen and make suggestions for relieving pain that are based on his/her day to day activities. The benefit of these pain diaries is that they utilize real time data entry, which is more effective in helping patients adhere to treatment regimens and provides more reliable data than the traditional approach of having patients rely on memory to provide such details during medical appointments. *******
Each of these ways of using technology to stem the opioid epidemic represents an innovation in the fight to save lives. With a well-developed, evidence-based plan, utilization of proven healthcare technologies, and commitment, the healthcare industry can make inroads the war against this formidable enemy.
--
Kelly Buckman is a healthcare IT expert and field expert blogger for Barracuda Consulting.
Kelly has almost a decade of experience as a Technical Support Engineer/ Analyst in the field of Healthcare IT, over 20 years in IT Support, and several years of experience in Project Management. She has a B.A. from Mount Holyoke, Masters degree from UMass Amherst, and lists her skills as the ability to analyze and resolve various types of application, server and network issues, and to communicate complex ideas effectively.
She is also the mother of 3 sons, ages 19, 17, and 11, lives in western Massachusetts, and enjoys solving puzzles, reading, and travelling.
Please leave your comments below. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, click here: https://tinyletter.com/barracuda-consulting. To purchase a full report on this subject, or to access our complete suite of healthcare, and IT advisory services please contact us: https://www.barracuda-consulting.net/contact.
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