.@BridgeMichigan You gave positive press to BC/BS Michigan's decision to pay doctors 35% more if they don't prescribe #opioids post-op. This thread is a #factcheck.
1) You never mentioned that restricting rx access has failed to curb ODs, which are fueled by illegal drug use.
1) You never mentioned that restricting rx access has failed to curb ODs, which are fueled by illegal drug use.
Jnl of AMA study: Efforts to curb ODs focused on "restricting the supply of prescription #opioids...have failed to demonstrate consistent benefit." Continuing these policies "may have a modest effect, at best."
This is widely known. Your writer didn't know it.
This is widely known. Your writer didn't know it.
2) A 2017 study looked specifically at rx post-op & found 99.4+% safe use. The 0.6% included people who refilled their rx. You just gave great press to @BCBSM who's paying doctors to leave patients in pain to avoid meds w/ +99.4% safe use. (Citations in report below.)
.@BridgeMichigan Here's @AmericanCancer Society trying to counter the fear stoked by misinformation in STORIES LIKE YOURS. They say #addiction is "very rare" when patients take meds as prescribed. They say patients "have a right" to pain care. cancer.org/content/dam/ca…
3) The 1 patient you interviewed said the rationed # of tabs she received was "sufficient." You interviewed 1 person & seemed to imply she was OK w/ her doc being paid to not treat her pain. Most #pain patients aren't OK. statnews.com/2018/12/06/ove…
4) You never address the fact that undertreated acute pain puts us at risk of developing #Chronic Pain AND of becoming suicidal. Severe acute pain can more than double a person's suicide risk even w/o depression. academic.oup.com/painmedicine/a…
I direct @headsUPmigraine & your story hit me like a body blow. When we founded headsUP, we never expected to become a #suicide prevention org, but #migraine & #pain put people at 2-6 or more times the risk of suicide even w/o depression. People denied safe pain meds are DYING.
This report reviews FDA, HHS, & CDC policy, as well as peer-reviewed research. If you have questions, I'd be happy to put you in touch with appropriate experts. docs.google.com/document/d/e/2…
Here #pain patients talk about what happened to them after they were denied access to the most effective class of FDA-approved medicine for pain. docs.google.com/document/d/e/2…
