Baltimore, MD -(PRNewswire)- Ameritox recently applauded the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, chaired by Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd K. Rutherford, for recommending the use of prescription medication monitoring statewide in the Task Force’s final report to Governor Larry Hogan. This recommendation follows examples set by Kentucky, Indiana, Washington and Georgia of requiring some form of medication monitoring for those who are being prescribed opioids for the long-term.
“We’re very pleased these leaders clearly recognize that prevention is a crucial part of stopping the opioid epidemic, and medication monitoring remains a key facet of successful prevention,” said Todd Gardner, Chief Operating Officer of Ameritox. “Maryland is served well by the fact that the Task Force understands the importance of prescription medication monitoring as a critical tool in the fight to curb opioid misuse, abuse and diversion.”
The Task Force explains in its final report that medication monitoring “could lead to better health outcomes by detecting possible diversion of prescription opioids or the presence of non-prescribed or illicit drugs in urine samples.” The report cited clinical research from Ameritox, which found that 48 percent of patient samples from Maryland contained a drug that had not been prescribed by the doctor who ordered the drug screening. This percentage reflects the second worst rate in the country, according to Ameritox’s data.
A copy of the final report from the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force can be found here.
Gardner was due to testify Wednesday before the Maryland Joint Legislative Committee on Opioid Disorders about how medication monitoring can improve patient outcomes, while preventing tragedy. Additionally, Ameritox’s service PRIUM, a chronic pain medical management company specializing in workers’ compensation, is currently collaborating with Maryland-based Chesapeake Employers Insurance Company on a pilot program. The aim is to identify specific cases of injured workers being prescribed significantly high dosages of opioids and to engage directly with their doctors to help create better patient outcomes. The full results of the program will be announced in the coming months.
Source: PRNewswire