SAFETY CORNER
Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse From Pinnacol Assurance
Chronic pain is a condition that affects many people — including people injured on the job. Often known by their brand names such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Opana, opioids have become a common treatment option for chronic pain conditions. In the short term, opioids can ease the symptoms of acute pain, but it has become clear by the growing rates of overdose and addiction that the increase in their use can become dangerous — sometimes even deadly.
is working to develop training for all Colorado physicians. The training will focus on state and federal guidelines for safe prescribing practices and treatment strategies to improve physicians’ understanding of the opioid abuse epidemic in terms of the health risks and the costs associated with these drugs. The program was introduced at Pinnacol’s SelectNet conference on Sept. 28, 2012, and became available to all Colorado physicians in October.
Consider these alarming statistics: Unintentional drug-related deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in the U.S. The rate of opioid prescribing has increased by 600 percent over the last 10 years and a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the nation’s emergency rooms are seeing more overdoses of OxyContin and Vicodin than heroin and cocaine combined. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that opioid abuse was the second most common reason for admission to substance abuse treatment programs, exceeded only by alcohol abuse. In addition to the tremendous toll opioid abuse has taken on the health and well-being of many people, the sharp increase in the rate of opioid use and addiction has also been a significant driver in the rising cost of medical claims.
Bonnie-Lyn Cahoon, Pinnacol’s Director of Medical Operations, describes Pinnacol’s efforts in the area of opioid abuse prevention this way: “It comes down to the safety of injured workers. We have an obligation to injured workers and to our policyholders to do what we can to help mitigate this huge problem.”
Like other workers’ compensation carriers, Pinnacol has been monitoring the opioid epidemic. Recently, Pinnacol made a decision to take a more proactive role in the fight to end opioid abuse. First, the company has set up an internal Opioid Physician Advisor program that focuses on supporting physicians in their decision-making when it comes to prescribing opioids. The goal of this program is to ensure that injured workers receive reasonable, necessary and related medical treatment to cure and relieve the effects of their injuries. The program is also designed to assist treating physicians with identifying potential problems that may arise when prescribing opioids.
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Second, Pinnacol has made a two-year gift commitment of nearly $133,000 to the Colorado School of Public Health to help find new ways to fight the opioid epidemic. Together with an advisory panel of nationally recognized leaders in the field of safe opioid prescribing, Pinnacol www.colorado nga.org
Pinnacol’s mission has always been to protect its policyholders and their employees. By taking a leading role in educating physicians about the potential dangers of opioid abuse, the company is honoring this important commitment. If you have any questions about Pinnacol’s efforts to fight opioid abuse, please contact your Pinnacol marketing representative.
The sharp increase in the rate of opioid use and addiction has been a significant driver in the rising cost of medical claims.
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