Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

How Health IT Tools are Working to Reduce the Prescription Opioid Epidemic

Healthcare Informatics: U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month vowed to declare the U.S. opioid crisis a “national emergency,” pledging to commit more funding and attention to the issue. And, while President Trump has yet to officially declare a state of emergency, a move that could help remove barriers and would enable the federal government to devote more funding to address the drug epidemic, healthcare organization leaders have been trying to combat the worsening opioid epidemic for several years now.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), deaths from prescription drug abuse have outpaced those from cocaine and heroin combined in the last 14 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), overdose deaths involving prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999. Further, the CDC reports that, today, nearly half of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid. In 2015, more than 15,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription opioids. What's more, each day, more than 1,000 people are treated in emergency departments for not using prescription opioids as directed.

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