The work
comp industry is a relatively small universe and one where a lot of us are very
familiar with each other. So I am sure that a lot of you who read this blog
received the same email recently from Phil LeFevre of the Work Loss Data
Institute. Perhaps the most notable work that this organization does is with
the Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) with which we at PRIUM utilize on a
daily basis.
LeFevre’s
email begins with the line, “I’ll sum up the statistics on opioids in two
words: Ruined Lives.” The purpose of his email was to promote ODG’s Opioid
Flyer (found here) and at the same time raise
continued awareness for the epidemic our industry and this country is currently
facing. ODG are of course evidence based guidelines and Michael Gavin has
written on this same page a handful of times about how important it is to utilize
evidence based medicine as a baseline for care.
But what struck
a chord with me and what compelled me to want to share my thoughts is the
passion and frustration that shows through in the way in which it was written.
This is the same passion and frustration I know that a lot of us share on a daily
basis when dealing with this issue. An issue that is front and center in our
little corner of the world, and one where the problem is well documented everywhere
else, but yet the adherence and desire to work together to combat the opioid
epidemic is surprisingly lacking in our society.
It pains me
to know that Missouri still does not see the necessity of having a prescription
drug monitoring program. It is
frustrating that there are still physicians out there passing out painkiller
prescriptions to patients’ outstretched hands as if Rx Halloween comes once a
month. Especially considering the well documented cases of bad actors like Dr. Lisa Tseng who was arrested on murder charges and
linked to at least 19 overdose deaths; or that of Dr. Rolando Lodevico Atiga who was arrested after writing a
prescription for an opioid and a muscle relaxant to an undercover agent who
presented him with an x-ray showing injuries to the neck and back … of a dog.
Perhaps what
motivates me (and comforts me) is the fact that there are those willing to
raise their hand when the questions is posed: What are we going to do? Dr. Andrew Kolodny, President of
Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) is one such individual
taking action against this epidemic. This group’s mission? “To reduce morbidity
and mortality resulting from prescribing of opioids and to promote cautious,
safe and responsible opioid practices.” We need individuals and organizations like
this and we need more calls to action like the one that was expressed in Phil
LeFevre’s email. And this is the advice given to the readers about the opioid
flyer: “Share it, save it, print it, tape
it to the wall if it helps you, your MPN providers, or your loved ones.”
That’s good
advice because if you needed a reminder - this IS an epidemic and it is one
that dwarfs the size of any we have seen in this country. Prescription drugs
are now responsible for more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.
But the transformation of this industry even in just the last couple of years
to recognize this issue is commendable. And there is definitely a long way to
go and a lot more that needs to be done, but every small effort like forwarding
an email or typing up a blog rant is a step in the right direction.
I completely agree with Mr. Yasko and his message above. I thought you might be interested to know that locally (in NYS) AdvoCase and it's associated Physicians - Dr. Warren Silverman, Dr. Michael Holland and Dr. Timothy Wiegand are working hard helping carriers and self insured employers strengthen their position on the use of long term narcotics. This is especially helpful in view of the impending implementation of the new NYS Workers Comp Pain Management Treatment Guidelines expected sometime this winter.
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