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87 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY US sees largest drop in opioid prescriptions in 25 years By Mackenzie Bean U .S. prescription opioid dosage volume decreased 12 percent in 2017, representing the largest drop in more than 25 years, accord- ing to a report from the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science. For the report, entitled "Medicine Use and Spending in the U.S.: A Review of 2017 and Outlook to 2022," researchers examined data on net medication spending for 2017, along with out-of-pocket patient costs and the overall volumes of medications used in the U.S. Here are four report findings. 1. Prescription opioid volume increased annually since 1992, before peaking in 2011. 2. From 2012 to 2016, opioid volume decreased by about 4 percent each year due to stricter regulations and prescribing guidelines. 3. Over the past five years, opioid volumes dropped annually in all 50 states. 4. Dispensed opioid prescriptions also decreased 10.2 percent in 2017. "Our research and analytics revealed that 2017 saw new therapy starts for prescription opioids in pain management decline nearly 8 percent, with a near doubling of medication-assisted therapies for opioid use dependence to 82,000 prescriptions per month," said Murray Aitken, IQVIA senior vice president and executive director of the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Sci- ence. "is suggests that healthcare professionals are prescribing opioids less oen for pain treatment, but they are actively prescribing MATs to address opioid addiction." n Contact us today to get started! 888-416-2409 • bids@eSutures.com In only a few days, you can turn excess inventory into usable capital with our streamlined and simple process. For more information, or to begin the bid process, please call 888-416-2409 or email bids@eSutures.com. eSutures.com is interested in purchasing your in-date, short-dated and expired products in full selling units, open boxes and even individual, loose units. WE CAN PURCHASE: • Ethicon Suture • Ethicon Endosurgery • Covidien Suture • Covidien Endosurgery • Synthes • Arthrex • Bard • Gore • Masimo • Applied Medical and more! Sell Your Surgical Surplus to eSutures.com! Poll: 52% of medical practices satisfied with their organization's culture By Kelly Gooch M ost medical groups are at least somewhat satisfied with their organization's culture, according to Medical Group Management Association's most recent Stat poll. The April 10 poll asked approximately 1,400 medical practice leaders if they were satisfied with their organization's culture (such as norms, values and mission). More than half of respondents (52 percent) said "yes," while 17 percent said "no." Another 31 per- cent said "somewhat." In an article related to the findings, MGMA said many respondents who said "yes" identified engagement, shared sense of purpose, teamwork and camaraderie as essential aspects of their organiza- tion's culture. Additionally, according to MGMA, those who said "somewhat" often noted employees at their organization do not adequately practice a culture already established in writing, and those who said "no" indicated their organization's culture was not unified, but improvement efforts were ongoing. n