|
|
 |
 |
Attorney General Mike DeWine
Insurer Task Force on
Opioid Reduction Releases Recommendations
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced the
recommendations issued by the Insurer Task Force on Opioid Reduction, a
group he formedlast year to foster discussion on how health insurance
companies in Ohio can help combat the opioid epidemic.
“The opioid epidemic knows no boundaries, and we all must work together
to prevent abuse and ensure those suffering get the treatment they
need,” said Attorney General DeWine. “Health insurers have stepped up
with ideas for action in prevention, intervention, and treatment to
help Ohioans that are outlined in the report released today.”
The group’s 15 recommendations focused on ways health insurers could
help prevent opioid abuse, better target intervention efforts, and
improve treatment of those suffering opioid addiction. Those
recommendations include:
Prevention
Insurers should cover and encourage, where appropriate, the use of both
nonopioid pain medications and alternative treatments to manage pain.
Insurers should identify and develop targeted education efforts for
prescribers who write a high volume of opioid prescriptions compared to
others in their specialty.
Insurers should ensure providers are aware of and follow appropriate
opioid prescribing guidelines, which should be more uniform.
Insurers should develop targeted prevention efforts to reduce the
number of opioid prescriptions written for adolescents and young adults
who are “opioid-naive.”
Insurers should develop education programs aimed at individuals who are
receiving their first opioid prescription to make them aware of the
risks of long-term opioid use.
Insurers should work together to develop common, easy-to-understand
communications strategies to educate the public about the risks of
opioids.
Intervention
Insurers should educate prescribers about properly decreasing opioid
dosages to reduce patients’ dependence on opioids.
Insurers should create, use, and continually refine programs to reduce
the practice of doctor or pharmacy “shopping” by patients who are
seeking opioids.
Insurers should use multi-disciplinary teams to coordinate care for
members with opioid-use disorder.
Insurers should direct obstetricians and gynecologists to screen
pregnant patients for opioid use throughout pregnancy to reduce the
serious health risks for infants.
Insurers should accept a standard authorization form for disclosure and
use of protected health information to better coordinate care.
Insurers should help government partners to coordinate substance-use
treatment for patients preparing to re-enter the community after a
period of incarceration.
The General Assembly should amend state statute so that commercial
insurance companies have access to prescription information contained
in the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System, the system designed to
collect data on outpatient prescriptions for controlled substances.
Treatment
Insurers should eliminate or expedite prior authorizations for
accessing Medication Assisted Treatment to reduce the amount of time a
patient must wait to receive treatment.
Insurers should increase reimbursement rates to adequately cover the
cost of providing substance use disorder treatment.
The task force consists of representatives from Aetna, Anthem Inc.,
Buckeye Health Plan, CareSource, Medical Mutual, Molina Healthcare,
Ohio Association of Health Plans, Paramount, and United Healthcare.
These organizations represent the vast majority of health insurance
coverage offered in Ohio. The task force met five times, received
written testimony, and conducted research to formulate these
recommendations.
A copy of the report can be found on the Attorney General’s website,
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
|
|
|
|
