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CHICAGO, March 14, 2019 / PRNewswire / – A new study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed significant differences in opioid prescribing practices among physicians, with rebaduring changes but also possible improvements. The badysis was based on Blue Cross Blue Shield Axis® (BCBS Axis) – the largest collection of insurance claims from companies, healthcare professionals and information on the cost of care – via a secure data portal led by Harvard Medical School researchers.
The study revealed:
- The monthly opioid prescribing rate for the first time decreased by 54%, nearly 110,000 fewer opioid prescriptions July 2012 at December 2017.
- Nearly 30% of health professionals chose not to prescribe opioids to patients who had never had one before, while others continued to prescribe dosages and durations treatment exposing patients to risk.
- The findings highlight the need for physicians to adapt the prescription of opioids to the individual.
"The challenge behind the opioid crisis is to strike a balance between providing the necessary medications for those in need of pain relief, while ensuring that patients are not prescribed prescribing potentially hazardous doses and lengths of time. Opioids, "said the chief investigator of the study Nicole Maestas, Ph.D., professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School. "The data revealed that while the health care community has made progress in the fight against this epidemic, much more needs to be done."
the Harvard Medical School researchers, as well as eight other leading health research institutions and programs in the United States, are members of the Blue Shield Blue Cross Alliance for Health Research (BCBS Alliance).
"The findings of the research team will provide the medical and healthcare community with a better understanding of the impact of opioid prescriptions on new opioid users, by providing the needed information on how we can better fight this devastating epidemic, "said the minister. Maureen Sullivan, Director of Strategy and Innovation, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. "With a commitment to transparency that provides information, working with Harvard and the other eight prestigious institutions participating in the Alliance, the ultimate goal is to badyze critical health issues and learn from them, and to find constructive solutions that improve quality of care and affordability. for all Americans. "
"In research, access to rich data is invaluable for generating meaningful information that can reveal patterns that inform evidence-based policies and decisions," he said. Michael Chernew, professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School. "Our participation in the BCBS Alliance has allowed us to access such data, which are uniquely represented throughout the country."
BCBS Alliance was created in 2016 to engage leading US healthcare researchers to explore key questions and topics using BCBS Axis data. Researchers participating in this program meet periodically to share their views and discuss critical health and health system issues, thus contributing to the improvement of health care at the national level. Participants in the BCBS alliance include: Harvard Medical School, Princeton University, Rice University, Scripps Research Translational Institute, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Oklahoma and Yale University. For more information on the BCBS alliance, visit https://bcbs.com/the-health-of-america/research-alliance.
To learn more about the report, visit https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/03/dramatic-shifts-in-first-time-opioid-prescriptions-bring-hope-concern/.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and the Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 locally-run, community-managed Blue Cross and Blue Shield independent societies that collectively provide health coverage to one in three Americans. . BCBSA provides information on health care through: Report on the health of America series and the BCBS National Health Index. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com. We also encourage you to contact us at Facebook, watch our videoYouTube thread, follow us on Twitter.
SOURCE Association Blue Cross and Blue Shield
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