Opioids

Is clinician empathy the new painkiller for chronic pain patients?

April 16, 2024 - Clinician empathy could be a key pain reliever for patients experiencing chronic pain, with a recent study in JAMA Network Open outlining how greater perceptions of empathy from their physicians were linked to lower reported pain levels. To be clear, empathy doesn’t have the same physiological effects as taking ibuprofen or other pain...

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Racially Diverse ZIP Codes See Disparities in MAT Access

by Sara Heath

ZIP codes with more racial and ethnic diversity have markedly fewer buprenorphine prescribers and far lower rates of dispensed buprenorphine prescriptions, according to researchers from the University...

Medication Access for OUD Abysmal for Medicare Enrollees

by Sara Heath

About a million Medicare enrollees have opioid use disorder (OUD), but only 18 percent of them received medication to treat OUD, according to a new Office of Inspector General report that illustrates...

Racial Health Disparities Emerge in Access to OUD Medications

by Sara Heath

A third of the 1.5 million Medicaid enrollees with opioid use disorder in 2021 did not receive medication to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD), with searing racial health disparities also present,...

78% of Adults with OUD Go Without Access to Addiction Treatment

by Sara Heath

Only a fifth of the nearly 2.5 million adults with opioid use disorder received medication for the disease 2021, leaving millions without access to addiction treatment, according to new data from the...

Drug Overdoses Are 3 Times Deadlier for Men, Exposing Gender Disparity 

by Sarai Rodriguez

In the United States, drug overdoses from opioids and psychostimulants have taken thousands of lives each year. Among these tragic losses, researchers gained sight of a clear trend; men throughout...

Rural-Urban Disparities in SUD Treatment Marked by Rising Inpatient Care

by Sarai Rodriguez

While substance abuse escalates in rural America, a new study revealed that limited access to substance use disorder treatment has propelled rural adults into court-ordered inpatient care more...

Opioid Treatment Access Stalls Despite Buprenorphine Prescribing Flexibility

by Sarai Rodriguez

Although buprenorphine prescribing regulations were relaxed to increase opioid treatment access, medication rates remained unchanged between 2016 and 2022; researchers suggested that additional...

Racial Health Disparities in Fentanyl Overdoses Worsened in 2020

by Sara Heath

The racial gap in overdose deaths is not a new phenomenon, but according to new research out of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, those racial health disparities got even worse starting in 2018...

How Community-Based Strategies Reduced Opioid Overdose Deaths

by Sara Heath

The University of Pittsburgh’s community-based strategy for reducing opioid deaths has helped counties across the state fortify public health, boost patient access to care, and ultimately,...

Advanced Practice Providers Extend Patient Access to Mental Healthcare

by Sara Heath

Two studies published in the September 2022 issue of Health Affairs give credence to the expanded scope of practice for advanced practice providers, like nurse practitioners and physician assistants,...

Nearly 90% of Patients with Opioid Use Disorder Lack Medication Access

by Sarai Rodriguez

The United States overdose epidemic continues to worsen, but most patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) lack potentially life-saving medication access, according to new findings published in the...

Health Disparities Persist in Patient Access to Opioid Treatments

by Sarai Rodriguez

Women, as well as Black and Hispanic populations, have faced longstanding health disparities in patient access to opioid treatments like buprenorphine, a Mayo Clinic study published in JAMA Network...

COVID-19 Pandemic Hindered Patient Access to Opioid Treatment Programs

by Sarai Rodriguez

Disruptions in care during the COVID-19 pandemic caused decreased patient access to opioid treatment program services for those with opioid use disorder (OUD), according to research published in JAMA...

RI, MA Skilled Nursing Facilities Resolve Discrimination Allegations

by Jill McKeon

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), along with the US attorney’s offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, reached an agreement with 12 of Genesis HealthCare’s skilled nursing facilities...

Opioid Disparities Shed Light on Potential Implicit Bias in Medicine

by Sara Heath

A new study revealing unequal opioid and pain medication prescription access between White and Black patients is calling into question the prevalence of implicit bias in medicine. The research,...

Does Implicit Bias Color Pain Management for Men and Women?

by Sara Heath

People may perceive pain levels in men as more acute than pain levels in women, a finding that could suggest gendered implicit bias in medicine and ultimately affect the type of medical treatment...

How Does the Opioids Bill Address Patient Consent, Medical Records?

by Sara Heath

As efforts to address the opioid crisis and mental and behavioral health issues come to the forefront, as do questions of patient consent, privacy, and medical records access. Specifically, impending...