Independence Blue Cross reports dramatic drop in opioid prescriptions among members
In the
That's more than the national average, which saw such prescriptions drop by 29 percent in the same time period.
But nearly 242,000 members were diagnosed with opioid-use disorder in 2017 alone -- with 7.9 diagnoses per 1,000 members in the
"We have seen an increase in the utilization of medication-assisted treatment into 2017, and then it kind of plateaued," said
Though prescription painkillers have been largely blamed for initiating the overdose crisis, last year a
In
Calega said that getting more patients on medication-assisted treatment, considered the gold standard for achieving lasting recovery, may be limited by federal restrictions on recovery medications such as suboxone, which is itself an opioid. Used as directed, it staves off the cravings and withdrawal pains that often doom recovery efforts, but it doesn't create euphoric effects. Independence no longer requires pharmacies to obtain preauthorization before dispensing the drug. But doctors are still required to undergo training and obtain a waiver from the
Providers, Calega said, have begun to talk about "whether it's time to start trying to get more providers trained to deliver suboxone therapy."
Independence, like numerous other insurers, medical practices, and public health agencies including the
The company said that it also reached out to about 1,000 Independence doctors whose patients were taking more than the opioid doses recommended by the
"We really try to educate providers on alternatives to opioids -- and to be careful about how many days you're prescribing them for," Calega said. "We had been seeing issues where people would go in for wisdom-teeth removal, and get a 30-day prescription for a narcotic."
At the same time, some chronic pain patients and advocates have said attempts to rein in prescribing are hurting people who need the medication to function. The region's other major insurer,
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