The use of cannabis as an alternative to opioid therapy is gaining serious consideration. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is still a federal Schedule I drug, meaning it is an illegal drug considered to have a high abuse potential and no medical use. However, acceptance
Opioid misuse and abuse is a long-standing and growing concern for workers’ compensation payers. Appropriate monitoring of injured worker compliance with a given treatment plan is an essential missing piece of the treatment puzzle. The Official Disability Guidelines and the American College of Occupational and
Opioid use disorder (OUD) can affect anyone, including infants and expectant mothers. The number of pregnant women with OUD at the time of delivery quadrupled from 1999 to 2014, from 1.5 to 6.5 per 1,000 delivery hospitalizations. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
The largest health insurance company in Tennessee, BlueCross BlueShield, will stop covering OxyContin prescriptions as of January 1, 2019. OxyContin is the brand name of the opioid oxycodone, a highly addictive pain reliever manufactured by Purdue Pharma and one of the primary drugs contributing to
Even as federal and state governments make efforts to stem the growing opioid epidemic through legislation to monitor and limit the availability of prescription painkillers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week released provisional estimates that indicate a continuing rise in overdose deaths, most notably
The results of a study conducted by the California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI) of preliminary results of Utilization Review (UR) and Independent Medical Review (IMR) outcomes have been released. The study measured, among other key issues, changes in UR and IMR decisions after the January
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that a person on probation with a condition to remain drug-free may be put in jail after one positive drug test. This case has been watched closely by many who work with people struggling with substance use disorder,
Almost 50 percent of prime age men (ages 25 to 54) who are not in the labor force take some kind of pain medication every day, states a report by a Princeton economist on labor force participation (LFP) in the U.S. The LFP rate measures how
This week U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions proposed changes to U.S. drug manufacturing quotas as part of the Justice Department’s new initiatives to combat the opioid epidemic. In the last decade, more than 250,000 deaths were related to opioid overdose, according to the New York
Emergency department (ED) visits for suspected opioid overdoses increased 35 percent across 16 states from July 2016 to September 2017, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In total, the CDC found more than 140,0000 suspected opioid overdose
In its budget proposal for 2019, the Trump administration has requested approximately $17 billion dollars to address the opioid epidemic. In general, the proposal allocates funding for new opioid-related resources for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), expands Medicaid reimbursement to include medication-assisted
Citing safety concerns about opioid exposure in children, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has mandated new labeling requirements for prescription cough and cold medicines that contain codeine or hydrocodone, limiting their indicated use to adults 18 years and older. The FDA is requiring