September 22, 2021
Opioid/Substance Use Disorders
  • The AMA released a new report calling on lawmakers to “act now” on climbing rates of fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses. More than 93,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2020, representing a record high and an almost 30 percent increase in overall fatal overdoses from the prior year. However, physicians have prescribed 44 percent less opioids over the past decade, with a 6.9 percent reduction between 2019 and 2020. The decline coincides with more doctors using prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), which help in recognizing patients who may be getting multiple prescriptions from different providers. (Press release here)