WWSPT has received information on new Medicare policies to combat the opioid epidemic which will affect our patients therefore we wanted to give you a summary what to expect and how it might affect you. Medicare also wants to have patients consider other options they cover for pain control which includes Physical Therapy, electrical stimulation, behavioral Health integration services, and psychiatric services.
We are all aware of the countries epidemic of Opioid abuse which includes 2 million sufferers of pain, more simply stated 6 persons of each 1000 beneficiaries. Surprisingly, opioids are the most commonly prescribed class of medication in the US which contributes to the problems. Accidental prescription opioid overdoes has quadrupled from 2000 to 2010 and continued to rise. There is also a large problem with misuse which primarily includes resale of individual tablets on the black market.
Medicare has a plan to address the national concerns about this crisis. This is a 3-pronged approach:
- Prevention of new cases
Starting January 1, 2019 Medicare will employ safety alerts to pharmacy with a 7 day supply limit for opioid naïve patients (those not using opioids). If the patient needs more than this amount the prescriber will need to write another prescription. This will be important in any total joint surgeries or other post-operative recovery periods.
- Treatment of patients who are addicted
Medicare will identify at risk patients by their opioid use and look at use of multiple doctor and pharmacies prescribing these medications. It is best to have one pharmacy for all your medications
- Use of data from across the country to target prevention and treatment
Opioid medications linked to substance abuse:
Fentanyl Hydrocodone Oxycodone Oxymorphone Hydromorphone Meperidine
Physical Therapy is a great option for getting pain relief instead of use of Opioids!! And Medicare covers our services, so consider contacting WWSPT for an evaluation.
