Limiting the number of opioids prescribed for one procedure can affect the number of pills prescribed for other procedures, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.  By Anuja Vaidya - 7/27/18

Between July 9-15, Snohomish County in Washington reported 57 opioid overdoses, two of which were fatal, according to K5 News.  By Harrison Cook - 7/26/18

Patients who use opioids before an elective joint replacement surgery may have an increased risk of repeat surgery or hospitalization, according to a new published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.  By Harrison Cook - 7/26/18

A homicide case involving a Pennsylvania woman fatally exposing her newborn infant to opioids via breast milk is raising broader issues surrounding breastfeeding among mothers with opioid addiction, according to The Inquirer.  By Harrison Cook - 7/25/18

As state legislators fight back against the opioid epidemic, one West Virginia nurse is running a harm reduction clinic to help patients struggling with addiction, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports.  By Megan Knowles - 7/25/18

The opioid-related death rate in Georgia outpaced the national average in 2017, according to federal data cited by, according to federal data cited by MyAJC.com.  By Harrison Cook - 7/25/18

Substance abuse programs in Meriden and Old Saybrook, Conn., are piloting a new mobile app named TryCyle, which seeks to reduce patient relapses and opioid-related overdoses by creating what the app's co-founder calls a "Digital Tether," according to the Harford Courant.  By Harrison Cook - 7/24/18

The Tangipahoa (La.) Parish Sheriff's Office confiscated a record amount of prescription fentanyl from a home in Tangipahoa, La. on July 12, according to Fox 8.  By Harrison Cook - 7/24/18

In 2016, more than 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries received high doses of opioids, many of which exceeded drug manufacturers' recommend prescription amount, according to federal data cited by WXYZ Channel 7.   By Harrison Cook - 7/23/18

Paul Farrell, an attorney from Huntington, W.Va., is leading one of the largest lawsuits in modern U.S. history, which combines more than 800 suits from cities and counties nationwide against drug manufacturers and distributors, according to Bloomberg.  By Harrison Cook - 7/23/18

Alabama's 4th congressional district had the highest opioid prescribing rate in the country, according to an analysis published July 19 in the American Journal of Public Health.  By Harrison Cook - 7/20/18

Endo International and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals filed a lawsuit against multiple convicted drug dealers and internet sites, claiming their illegal opioid sales are to blame for the nation's ongoing opioid crisis, according to Bloomberg.  By Harrison Cook - 7/20/18

Reducing the default number for postoperative opioids in an EMR can help lower the number of opioids prescribed to patients after surgery, according to a new study published in JAMA Surgery.  By Harrison Cook - 7/19/18

International packages shipped to the United States and delivered by the U.S. Postal Service are not required to include advance electronic data, which U.S. customs agents use to identify potentially dangerous or illegal materials. As a result, many drug traffickers extort this loophole to ship opioids into the country undetected, Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania and the first U.S. secretary of homeland security, wrote in an op-ed for northjersey.com.  By Harrison Cook - 7/18/18

CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, spoke about the opioid epidemic during a conference in New Orleans July 12 and commented on how he nearly lost one of his adult children to opioids, The Washington Post reports.  By Alyssa Rege - 7/18/18

A study published in Academic Emergency Medicine examined whether low-dose ketamine is as effective as opioids for acute pain control in the emergency department.  By Anuja Vaidya - 7/18/18

The Netherlands has distributed heroin to its citizens via supervised injection sites or heroin treatment centers since the 90s. Dutch public health experts cite these actions as one reason the country sees significantly fewer opioid-related deaths than the U.S., according to Cleveland.com.  By Harrison Cook - 7/17/18

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf issued new opioid prescription guidelines for worker compensation cases, according to The Morning Call.   By Harrison Cook - 7/17/18

Between 1999 and 2014, 1 out of 10 children enrolled in Tennessee's Medicaid program were prescribed opioids, according to a study published in Pediatrics.  By Harrison Cook - 7/17/18

A recent blog post by Tina Joros of Allscripts, discusses how practitioners are seeking out ways to improve the safety of opiod prescribing.   By Staff - 7/17/18