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An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids.

CoreChoice and MINES partner to form PPO network to combat opioid and substance use

CoreChoice, the national specialty network for radiology, interventional pain management, and medical air transportation services is pleased to announce their partnership agreement with MINES & Associates to form the nation's first PPO network solution to combat the nationwide opioid and polysubstance use epidemic.

8 Oct 2018

Health insurers have inconsistent policy terms for non-drug pain treatments, study finds

Public and private health insurance policies in the U.S. are missing important opportunities to encourage the use of physical therapy, psychological counseling and other non-drug alternatives to opioid medication for treating lower back pain, a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has found.

6 Oct 2018

Congress targets misuse of hospice drugs

Hospice workers would be allowed to destroy patients’ unneeded opioids, reducing the risk that families misuse them, according to one little-noticed provision in the bipartisan opioids bill headed to President Donald Trump’s desk for his likely signature.

5 Oct 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Some things old, some things new

Congress passed major health-related legislation in time for the fiscal year, which began Monday, including a broad bill to address the opioid epidemic and a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services.

4 Oct 2018

Study points out strong link between opioid overdoses and depression

The link between mental health disorders and substance abuse is well-documented. Nearly one in 12 adults in the U.S is depressed, and opioid-related deaths are skyrocketing. As these numbers continue to climb, some mental health professionals have started to wonder if there's a link between the two.

4 Oct 2018

Poor self-esteem associated with increased risk for opioid use

Health, family and romance problems appear to be the particular life stressors most associated with increased risk for using opioids to cope, and individuals with low self-esteem appear to be at risk for these connections, according to a new paper including researchers at Binghamton University, State University at New York.

3 Oct 2018

VA adding opioid antidote to defibrillator cabinets for quicker overdose response

It took more than 10 minutes for paramedics to arrive after a housekeeper found a man collapsed on the floor of a bathroom in a Boston Veteran Affairs building.

3 Oct 2018

Medicaid expansions unlikely to have contributed to rise in drug overdose deaths

The United States in recent years has increased healthcare access by broadening Medicaid coverage, but some worry that these Medicaid expansions lead to more abuse of prescription painkillers and thus worsen the opioid epidemic.

28 Sep 2018

Workers overdose on the job, and employers struggle to respond

Jimmy Sullivan prepared for his job as a bricklayer the same way every morning for years: injecting a shot of heroin before leaving his car.

28 Sep 2018

Buried in Congress’ opioid bill is protection for personal drug imports

The final version of the massive opioid bill Congress released Wednesday would grant the Food and Drug Administration new powers to crack down on drug imports, but it also includes a provision — nearly killed in the Senate — to shield people who are just trying to buy cheaper, needed prescription medication from other countries.

27 Sep 2018

Scientists develop new protocol for measuring background levels of drugs in forensic labs

When crime lab chemists handle evidence that contains illegal drugs, trace amounts of those drugs are inevitably released into the laboratory environment.

27 Sep 2018

New science-based curriculum released to teach adolescents about opioid risks

A new and free science-based curriculum designed to teach adolescents about the risks of opioids has been released by Project ALERT, a national evidence-based drug education program created and managed by the nonprofit RAND Corporation.

26 Sep 2018

Common painkiller not effective in controlling chronic pain after traumatic nerve injury

A new study out today in the Journal of Neurology finds that pregabalin is not effective in controlling the chronic pain that sometimes develops following traumatic nerve injury.

25 Sep 2018

Lung cancer patients treated with invasive surgery more likely to become chronic opioid users

Patients treated with more-invasive surgical techniques for a type of early-stage lung cancer are more likely to become chronic opioid users than patients treated with minimally invasive surgery, highlighting the need for additional research into how pain management after surgery might be a contributing factor to the opioid addiction crisis, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology in September.

24 Sep 2018

Enrollment in opioid controlled substance agreement reduces primary care visits

The medical community has long known that patients on long-term opioid therapy often have significantly more health care visits.

21 Sep 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Health on the hill

As the start of the fiscal year draws near — along with pivotal midterm elections — Congress is picking up its pace on legislation. This week alone the Senate passed a comprehensive bill aimed at curbing the opioid epidemic and a nearly final bill to fund the Department of Health and Human Services.

20 Sep 2018

Effective management of neonatal abstinence syndrome requires coordinated ‘cascade of care’

Effective management of neonatal abstinence syndrome- withdrawal symptoms occurring in infants exposed to opioids in utero - requires a coordinated "cascade of care" from prevention through long-term follow-up, reports a study in Advances in Neonatal Care, official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.