Evaluating Opioid Policies: Balancing Abuse Reduction With Patient Access

According to a video narrated by David Charles, MD, Chairman of the Alliance for Patient Access (AfPA), opioid and heroin abuse kills 78 Americans every day.

While many federal agencies (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], US Department of Health & Human Services), state lawmakers, professional organizations (National Governors Association, AMA), and inter-agency collaborations have created plans in an attempt to curb the opioid epidemic, how can we know which plans will work, and which will be effective without stopping patients who legitimately need pain medication from accessing it?

“Policymakers and health care providers want the same thing — to prevent addiction and overdose, and to protect patient access to appropriate pain therapies. A workable solution is one that can achieve those goals, while also preserving the physician-patient relationship,” Dr Charles noted.

In the AfPA video, Dr Charles discusses 3 questions to consider when evaluating these plans that take into account the physician-patient relationship, pain medication options, and whether available technology is being utilized to deter opioid abuse.

View the AfPA video below to hear Dr Charles’ explanations and his questions to ask when considering these plans.