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5 most commonly prescribed opioids at emergency department discharge
Acetaminophen-hydrocodone was the opioid most commonly prescribed at discharge from emergency departments from 2012 to 2017, according to a new CDC report.
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Minnesota opioid prescriptions plummet; providers may soon be penalized for overprescribing
Opioid prescriptions in Minnesota have dropped significantly over the last few years, but the state still intends to implement penalties against certain physicians that overprescribe painkillers, the Minnesota Department of Human Services announced Jan 3.
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Limiting opioids in ERs can leave some sickle cell patients in pain
Amid a national opioid crisis, some hospitals have changed how they administer pain medication, a move some say can leave sickle cell patients suffering, according to NPR.
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New National Academies opioid guidelines aim to make prescribing more consistent
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a report outlining a framework to develop acute pain prescribing plans Dec. 19.
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Nearly 30 percent of US opioid-poisoning cases occur among children
Close to a third of opioid poisoning cases in the U.S. involve children, a study published in Clinical Toxicology shows.
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Treating newborns exposed to opioids cost US hospitals $572M+ in 2016
U.S. hospital spending on infants exposed to opioids rose by more than $250 million over four years, according to a study published Dec. 16 in JAMA Pediatrics.
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Verily planning $5M expansion of tech-based opioid treatment initiative
Alphabet's life sciences arm Verily is seeking funding to expand its OneFifteen opioid addiction and recovery campus, launched earlier this year in partnership with Dayton, Ohio-based Premier Health and Kettering Health Network, the Dayton Daily News reports.
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Counterterrorism devices repurposed to test for fentanyl
The MX908 mass spectrometer device, which was originally marketed by portable chemical analysis startup 908 Devices as a counterterrorism tool, is now being used by the Boston Public Health Commission to combat the opioid crisis, NPR reports.
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Oklahoma judge corrects his math error, lowers J&J opioid payment by $107M
An Oklahoma judge lowered the amount Johnson & Johnson has to pay the state for its role in the opioid crisis by $107 million, according to The Washington Post.
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States ranked by rate of youth affected by the opioid crisis
West Virginia has the highest rate of children affected by the opioid epidemic, with 54 of every 1,000 children in the state affected in 2017, according to a Nov. 13 report from United Hospital Fund and Boston Consulting Group.
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The drug diversion epidemic – part 1: redirection of controlled substances
Patrick Yoder, PharmD, co-founder and CEO of Logic Stream explains how automated software tools are playing an important role in drug diversion prevention and detection. -
US spent $74B on healthcare for youth affected by opioid crisis in 2017
The opioid epidemic adversely affected about 2.2 million U.S. children and adolescents in 2017, with related healthcare costs totaling $74 billion for the year, according to a Nov. 13 report from United Hospital Fund and Boston Consulting Group.
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Only 1% of ED patients given opioids become chronic users, study finds
Only one percent of opioid-naive emergency department patients receiving opioid prescriptions upon discharge demonstrated persistent opioid use six months later, according to a study published Nov. 1 in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
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New York requires overdose death certificates to include opioid type
Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Nov. 5 signed legislation to better track opioid overdoses in the state.
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Rate of opioid use disorder in every state
Delaware has the highest rate of Americans reporting opioid use disorder of all U.S. states, according to a new ranking from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
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DEA warns of counterfeit prescription pills from Mexico
Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing and distributing large quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl throughout North America, according to a Nov. 4 warning from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Physicians more likely to prescribe opioids after receiving gifts from pharma companies
Receiving gifts from pharmaceutical companies related to opioids increases the likelihood of a physician prescribing opioids to patients in the following year, according to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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Opioid epidemic cost $696B last year, White House says
The opioid epidemic cost the nation $696 billion in 2018, representing 3.4 percent of gross domestic product, according to a new estimate from the Council of Economic Advisors.
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AdventHealth to open addiction recovery center in 2020
Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth aims to improve patients' access to substance abuse treatment through a new partnership with Seminole County, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
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Cutting opioid prescriptions may be as easy as asking patients how many they'll need, study finds
Asking patients to be involved in deciding how many opioids they need could help lower opioid prescribing rates, according to a study published in The Green Journal.
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