Trump panel calls opioid crisis a 'national emergency'
Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Modern Healthcare Metrics
MDHC_Logotype_white
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • Login
  • News
    • This Week's News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition
    • States focus on healthcare costs to address coverage problems
      Value-based pay still struggles to improve costs, quality
      Quorum Health considering buyout offer from KKR
      Better neighborhoods boost children's health, study finds
    • Lacking specialist access drives health disparities
      Genetic Counseling
      Addressing barriers
 to expanding 
genetic counseling
      2,200 University of Chicago nurses ratify contract
      UPMC's operating income continues to spiral downward
    • Silver-loading, CSR elimination lowered premiums for some rural enrollees
      Centene to sell Illinois plan to CVS Health
      Blue Cross of Idaho unveils souped-up short-term health plans
      Health insurers' debt obligations have soared in the last decade
    • States focus on healthcare costs to address coverage problems
      Hospitals sue HHS over negotiated price disclosure rule
      Michigan governor: Legislature should help pause Medicaid work rules
      Dr. Stephen Hahn, FDA Commissioner
      Week Ahead: Committee likely to vote on nominee for FDA commissioner
    • Smallest hospitals saw biggest earnings gains last month
      Sutter Health postpones financial filing
      doctor helping patient stock image Sandoz
      Sponsored Content Provided By Sandoz
      As hospital executives look to reduce costs, biosimilars offer a compelling option
      Health systems issuing bonds at feverish pace
    • astronaut
      Astronauts developed bloodstream issues in space
      Sponsored Content Provided By ABM Healthcare
      Protecting and Maintaining Medical Devices
      human hand robotic hand stock image
      Sponsored Content Provided By Deloitte
      The Health System of the Future: How Digital Health Technology is Transforming Care
      EHR
      EHR vendors most in-use throughout Medicare incentive program
    • MRIs of dense breasts find more cancer but also false alarms
      Flu season takes off quickly in Deep South states
      Uber driver says South Carolina hospital dumped patient on him
      1 in 3 adults age 45 and older reported being lonely in a 2018 AARP survey
      Data Points: Loneliness and its impact on health
    • Mayo Clinic taps Dr. John Halamka to lead its Google partnership
      Jay Shannon out as CEO of Cook County Health
      Cleveland Clinic names Dr. James Merlino as chief clinical transformation officer
      Former Cone Health CEO Dennis Barry dies
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Special Features
    • Best Practices
    • InDepth Special Reports
    • Innovations
    • Arkansas Children’s was a founding partner in Solutions for Patient Safety.
      Children's hospitals collaborate rather than compete on patient safety
      Peer recovery specialists at St. Barnabas Medical Center work with nurse Brenna Zarra.
      Peer recovery helping patients with addiction seek treatment
      UNC Health Care trains staff to treat dementia patients
      Doctor running
      Plain language alerts help Piedmont Healthcare patients, staff avoid confusion
    • Linda Kenney
      Patient advocate recalls two medical errors that nearly killed her
      Leah Binder, CEO of the Leapfrog Group, with her grandmother, Estelle Greifer.
      With no national reporting system, volume of medical errors is still unknown
      Man in hospital bed
      Minnesota looks to evolve its patient-safety reporting system
      Dr. Don Berwick
      Despite progress, we’re still waiting for a truly safer healthcare system
    • Randy Oostra, CEO of ProMedica
      HCR ManorCare deal laid foundation for ProMedica’s growth
      Advanced ICU Care
      Telemedicine helps rural hospitals meet intensivist shortage
      Paging Dr. Robot: Artificial intelligence moves into care
      A child being screened for vision problems using a smartphone.
      App screens kids for eye problems before they can talk
  • Transformation
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • ProMedica doubles down on social needs data analysis
      Amazon taps first pharmacy for Alexa Rx management
      Trump administration unveils new price transparency rules
      A child being screened for vision problems using a smartphone.
      App screens kids for eye problems before they can talk
    • Home health to pare down therapy services, up telehealth offerings
      Amazon launches medical transcription service
      Hospitals' uncompensated care continues to rise
      Supply chain tweaks could help average hospital hire up to 165 more nurses
    • Advanced ICU Care
      Telemedicine helps rural hospitals meet intensivist shortage
      Peer recovery specialists at St. Barnabas Medical Center work with nurse Brenna Zarra.
      Peer recovery helping patients with addiction seek treatment
      UNC Health Care trains staff to treat dementia patients
      UPS to kick off drone delivery service with hospital campuses
    • Value-based pay still struggles to improve costs, quality
      Hospitals sue HHS over negotiated price disclosure rule
      Bundled payments get a boost in two states with employee programs
      CMS wants primary-care docs to take on financial risk
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Data Points
    • Modern Healthcare Metrics
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
    • Randy Oostra, CEO of ProMedica
      HCR ManorCare deal laid foundation for ProMedica’s growth
      Steve Strongwater
      How Atrius Health stayed independent by not shying away from risk
      Why moving the VA to a new EHR was a pivotal decision
      Why AdventHealth's rebrand was more than a name change
    • Terry Shaw
      A diverse and inclusive culture should empower others
      Paving the path to diversity and inclusion
      The next step in healthcare evolution
      Breaking Bias: A road map to boost women and minorities into healthcare leadership
    • David Dill and Keith Myers
      Healthcare partnerships are a proven path to better care, healthier communities
      Health systems need to devote more resources to caring for the caregivers
      Fawn Lopez and Bernard Tyson
      In remembrance and gratitude for a life well-lived
      Chip Kahn and Alan Morgan
      Rural healthcare needs innovation, policy changes to survive
    • Hospital with money
      Letters: Let providers set their prices,
 and then publish them all
      Letters: Ambulatory surgery centers aren't getting a break on regulation
      Letters: Rising Medicaid spending isn't a windfall for providers
      Letters: The complexity of prior authorization runs deep
    • Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      How blockchain could ease frustration with the payment process
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Three steps to better data-sharing for payer and provider CIOs
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Reduce total cost of care: 6 reasons why providers and payers should tackle the challenge together
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Why CIOs went from back-office operators to mission-critical innovators
  • Awards
    • Nominate
    • Award Programs
    • Previous Award Programs
    • Other Award Programs
    • Nominations Open - Top 25 Minority Leaders
      Nominations Open - Health Care Hall of Fame
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders
    • Top 25 Women Leaders
    • Excellence in Nursing Awards
    • Design Awards
    • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
    • 100 Top Hospitals
    • ACHE Awards
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Webinars
    • Kronos webinar logo lockup
      Sponsored Content Provided By Kronos
      Webinar: The Future of Work in Healthcare
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Healthcare Transformation Summit
    • Critical Connections: Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Workplace of the Future Conference
    • Strategic Marketing Conference
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala (2020)
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Government
July 31, 2017 01:00 AM

Trump panel calls opioid crisis a 'national emergency'

Steven Ross Johnson
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Getty Images

    The White House's drug commission called on President Donald Trump to declare the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency and expedite funds and resources to stop the crisis.

    In its initial report to the president, the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis called for mandatory prescriber education initiatives on opioids and specifically called for Trump to instruct the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency to require physicians to take continuing medical education courses on opioid prescribing to apply or renew for a license to prescribe the drugs.

    Medical and dental schools should work to improve healthcare professionals' prescribing habits and lessen the risk of overprescribing, the report said.

    Overprescribing of opioid pain relievers has been widely viewed as the leading cause for the rise in opioid-related substance abuse cases and overdose deaths over the past decade. Opioids accounted for more than 63% of the more than 52,000 drug overdose deaths that occurred in the U.S. in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among opioid-related deaths, more than 15,000 involved the use of a prescription opioid.

    "This interim report is meant to give the president some immediate steps that he can take to try and make sure that we stop the deaths that are happening across this country," commission chair and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said.

    Some states have tried to curb the number of opioid prescriptions written by requiring prescribers to review data from prescription drug monitoring program databases. In Florida, such efforts have sparked an 80% decline in the number of opioids prescribed per capita from 2010 to 2015.

    A recent CDC study found opioid prescribing rates fell by 13% from 2012 to 2015, but the number of opioids prescribed in 2015 remained three times higher than were prescribed in 1999.

    "If we don't move upstream a bit and look at cutting down the number of prescriptions and availability of opioids, we're just going to have continued problems," said Dr. Greg Makris, clinical lead for the Great Lakes Practice Transformation Network at the Altarum Institute.

    The commission's report also called on the CMS to grant waivers that will allow state Medicaid programs to cover substance abuse treatment in residential facilities with more than 16 beds. Although Congress last year included a provision in the 21st Century Cures Act that allowed Medicaid to cover that treatment for up to 15 days, the commission said states should be allowed to bypass the requirement entirely. Proponents say that policy change would increase treatment capacity immediately.

    The commission urged Trump to enforce federal law and ensure health plans don't impose less favorable benefits for mental health and substance abuse diagnoses.

    "This is simply an issue of equity and medical civil rights so that patients who have an illness not unlike any other chronic illness are not treated differently by their insurers," said former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a member of the commission. "I believe a lot of the denial we are seeing in insurance coverage stems from the overall denial that our country is living in when it comes to this healthcare crisis."

    Other report recommendations included establishing a federal fund to expand greater access to medication-assisted treatment, and for the National Institutes of Health to partner with drugmakers to develop new medication-assisted treatments.

    Trump created the commission via executive order in March, calling on the task force to come up with recommendations on the most effective ways the federal government could support treatment and prevention efforts. The commission received more than 8,000 public comments after its first public meeting June 16.

    Christie said the commission's final report will be released in the fall.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Sponsored Content
    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up for free enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today

    The weekly magazine, websites, research and databases provide a powerful and all-encompassing industry presence. We help you make informed business decisions and lead your organizations to success.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Instagram

    Stay Connected

    Join the conversation with Modern Healthcare through our social media pages

    MDHC_Logotype_white
    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2019. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • This Week's News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition
    • Special Features
      • Best Practices
      • InDepth Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Transformation
      • Patients
      • Operations
      • Care Delivery
      • Payment
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Data Points
      • Modern Healthcare Metrics
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Nominate
      • Award Programs
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders
        • Top 25 Women Leaders
      • Previous Award Programs
        • Excellence in Nursing Awards
        • Design Awards
        • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
      • Other Award Programs
        • 100 Top Hospitals
        • ACHE Awards
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Healthcare Transformation Summit
        • Critical Connections: Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Workplace of the Future Conference
        • Strategic Marketing Conference
      • Galas
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala (2020)
      • Webinars
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing