Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the American Medical Association’s recent release of its 2020 Opioid Task Force report, which found a dramatic increase in fatalities involving illicit opioids, stimulants, heroin and cocaine, and a similarly dramatic drop in the use of prescription opioids.
Key findings included that opioid prescribing decreased for a sixth year in a row, with the number of opioid scripts dropping 37.1% nationally between 2013-2019. Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) registrations and use continued to increase, with state PDMPs accessed 64.4% more in 2019 vs 2018, and over 1,100% more than in 2014. The AMA also reported that over 85,000 physicians (and a growing number of NPs and PAs) are now certified to treat opioid use disorder patients in-office with buprenorphine – an increase of more than 50,000 from 2017.
Find out more (including a link to the free report!) by clicking here!