New data from the California agency that manages health benefits for 1.5 million public employees, retirees and their families shows that doctors are writing far fewer opioid prescriptions, reflecting a national trend of physicians cutting back on the addictive drugs.
Category: CDC
Why Missouri’s The Last Holdout On A Statewide Rx Monitoring Program
For the seventh year in a row, Missouri will retain its lonely title as the only state without a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. Fears about privacy violations and gun control scuttled the bill yet again, leaving a pastiche of half-step measures in place to fill the void in the fight against prescription drug abuse.
With Head Injuries Mounting, Will Cities Put Their Feet Down On E-Scooters?
As dockless electric scooters run roughshod through cities nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues its first assessment on injuries and safety. It studied the injuries linked to riding e-scooters in Austin, Texas, from September through November. More than 200 people were hurt in scooter crashes and mishaps — with nearly half suffering head injuries.
More States Say Doctors Must Offer Overdose Reversal Drug Along With Opioids
In an emerging new tactic against the rising toll of opioid deaths, California, Ohio, Virginia and Arizona are among the states requiring physicians to offer patients naloxone when they give them prescriptions for the powerful painkillers. The Food and Drug Administration is weighing a national recommendation to do so.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Doctors, Guns And Lame Ducks
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Alice Ollstein of Politico discuss how the Democrats’ takeover of the House and other results from the Nov. 6 elections might affect health care, and what Congress may have in store for the lame-duck session.