Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Officials Have Pulled Out Lots Of Tools To Fight Opioid Crisis. Now Senators Want To Know What Works.
The Hill: Senators Introduce Bill To Measure Progress In Opioid Fight
Three senators are introducing a bill to measure the federal government’s progress in ending the opioid epidemic, as the White House and Congress are grappling with how to solve a crisis contributing to thousands of deaths per year. Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) said it’s important to create national indicators to determine what efforts to solve the opioid crisis have worked, and what hasn’t. (Roubein, 5/23)
In other news on the crisis —
Los Angeles Times: Researchers Tally The Physical And Financial Costs Of Opioid Painkillers' Side Effects
The opioid crisis has shown us that prescription painkillers and their illicit counterparts can wreak havoc in American communities. Now researchers have quantified the damage they can do inside hospitals when administered to patients following surgeries and other invasive medical procedures. More than 10% of hospitalized patients who took one or more opioid painkillers experienced a side effect tied to the drug, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Surgery. Fully 93% of these patients suffered at least one episode that was deemed moderate or severe. (Kaplan, 5/23)
NPR: Physical Therapy As First Treatment For Low Back Pain Curbs Opioid Use
Though Americans spend an estimated $80 billion to $100 billion each year in hopes of easing their aching backs, the evidence is mounting that many pricey standard treatments — including surgery and spinal injections — are often ineffective and can even worsen and prolong the problem. A study published Wednesday in the journal Health Services Research suggests trying physical therapy first may at least ease the strain on the patient's wallet in the long term — and also curb reliance on opioid painkillers, which carry their own risks. (Neighmond, 5/23)
Modern Healthcare: Surgeon General Urges ER Docs To Advocate For Evidence-Based Opioid Treatment
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams on Wednesday called for emergency physicians to take a bigger role advocating for evidence-based opioid abuse treatments including harm reduction. Speaking at an American College of Emergency Physicians forum in Washington, D.C., the nation's top doctor supported harm reduction tactics such as needle exchange programs and safe injection sites to help mitigate health concerns associated with drug use. (Johnson, 5/23)
Wyoming Public Radio: Wyoming Attorney General Investigating Potential Opioid Lawsuit
Carbon County recently filed suit against opioid manufacturers and distributors, and Teton County is considering the idea too. But Wyoming’s attorney general would rather the state take the lead on an opioid lawsuit. (Edwards, 5/23)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Lost In The Battle To Create Fewer New Patients Addicted To Opioids: Longtime Pain Patients
New rules seek to contain the number of leftover pills available for diversion and reduce the number of pain patients who become dependent or suffer serious side effects. But longtime users with chronic pain contend that these rules are hurting law-abiding people. (Burling, 5/24)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Hamilton County Keeps Inmates Safe From Opioid Withdrawal With Med
Hamilton County jail is first in Ohio to launch a program with its health-care provider that manages inmates who experience opioid withdrawal with the medication buprenorphine. And during a nationwide opioid epidemic, jails are used to seeing hundreds of people coming in with these symptoms. (DeMio, 5/23)
