Electronic Health Records: A Promising New Way To Fight the Opioid Epidemic

From the injured athlete who underwent ACL surgery to the mother recovering from a broken ankle, the nation’s opioid epidemic selects its victims indiscriminately and at an alarming rate, with 8% to 12% of patients prescribed painkillers eventually developing a use disorder. As of 2017 – the most recent full year for which data is available – prescribing rates still hover around 60 prescriptions per 100 persons.  Addiction disorders disproportionately affect young adults, with opioid overdoses accounting forone in every five deaths of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34. This is the grim face of the epidemic today.

While the Attorney General and U.S. courts fight to determine the role pharmaceutical companies such as Purdue Pharma had in precipitating our nation’s drug crisis – as well as their prior knowledge of the addictiveness of drugs like OxyContin – patients, physicians and local communities continue to battle the epidemic on the front lines. From controversial measures like safe injection sites, to collection programs for unused pills as well as new medical policies designed to reduce overprescribing, communities across the country are developing and implementing innovative ways to address the epidemic.

One of the strategies outlined in recent months comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which describes a three-pronged approach to fighting the epidemic: opioid use disorder (OUD) prevention, treatment and improved data utilization in electronic health records (EHRs). The cornerstone of this strategy – to equip health workers on the front lines with access to real-time data about patient prescribing patterns – is a key aspect of CMS’s roadmap that health technology leaders are still exploring today. And, while much of the necessary data is already being collected through various means, getting it in front of prescribers when and where they need it – and in a useable format – is another matter.

The full Forbes article can be viewed at this link.