Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1028549
54 OPIOIDS 72K Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017, CDC estimates By Harrison Cook F atal drug overdoses killed more Americans than HIV, car crashes or guns in 2017, claiming 72,000 lives, according to a preliminary estimation from the CDC. This figure marks a 10 percent increase from 2016. Analysts attributed the spike in overdose deaths to more Americans using opioids and the heightened prevalence of more potent synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, according to The New York Times. The CDC estimates deaths attributed to synthetic opioid use rose sharply in 2017, while deaths attributed to heroin, metha- done and prescription opioids fell. Initially, the opioid epidemic mainly affected white popula- tions in rural areas. Now, deaths are more widespread and the toll differs by state. Preliminary data from Massachusetts illustrates the death rate will continue to fall in 2018. However, some states in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions, such as Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia, each saw opioid overdose deaths increase more than 17 percent in 2017. In New Jersey, opioid overdose deaths increased 27 percent. Nationwide, there were 48,612 opioid overdose deaths in 2017, according to the CDC's estimate. The CDC's 2017 estimate is not a final count. The agency collects most of this data using confirmed death records from each state. As some investigations take longer than others, the CDC adjusts its estimate based on the number of deaths still under investigation. n Oregon Medicaid proposal would cut opioid coverage for chronic pain patients By Harrison Cook O regon officials are weighing a proposal that would eliminate coverage for opioids pre- scribed to chronic pain patients in the state's Medicaid program, according to STAT. Here are six things to know: 1. The proposal outlines tapering chronic pain patients' opioids to zero over a 12-month period, starting in 2020. Instead of taking opioids, the proposal recom- mends shifting patients' pain management care to non- pharmacological therapies like chiropractic care, deep tissue massages or acupuncture. 2. State health officials declined to provide how many pain patients this policy could affect, but about 1 million Oregonians are enrolled in Medicaid. Nationwide, about 10 percent of adults experience chronic pain. "We believe Oregonians in chronic pain deserve safe and effective pain management," Dana Hargunani, MD, CMO at Salem-based Oregon Health Authority, told STAT. "And at the same time, we're concerned about overdose and death, and we believe pain patients have been put at higher risk with regard to overprescribing." 3. Other states have passed legislation to cap first-time opioid prescriptions for acute pain to three, five or seven days based on the medical procedure. Yet, the proposed Oregon bill is the first of its kind to propose eliminating opioid prescriptions for patients who have not demonstrated signs of addiction or other negative health consequences. 4. Many chronic pain patients oppose the proposal, arguing it will drive individuals to seek illegal opioids, such as heroin, which is often laced with fentanyl, according to STAT. Chronic pain patient activists expressed concern that the task force charged with creating the proposal comprises three acupuncturists and a chiropractor. They said coverage for alterna- tive pain management therapies provided by these types of clinicians should not come at the expense of opioid coverage. 5. Health experts are also skeptical of the proposal, citing little evidence on the benefits or consequences of taking pain patients off long-term opioids. "What is notably missing is any review of any literature regarding the centerpiece of their proposed policy: Forced opioid taper to zero for all persons," Stefan Kertesz, MD, professor of preventive medicine at Birmingham based-University of Alabama School of Medicine, told STAT. 6. Oregon could approve the proposal as soon as Octo- ber, according to STAT. n