Opioid addiction has grown over the past fifteen years from a personal issue to a national emergency. A new infographic from Magellan Healthcare reveals the devastation that this epidemic is causing.
- In 2014, there were 18,893 overdose deaths related to prescription pain relievers
- There was a 3,203% rise insurance claims for opioid dependence diagnosis from 2007-2014
- Prescription opioid abuse is costing employers $25,000,0000 a year
The opioid addiction crisis is causing such an unprecedented amount of harm precisely because it is such a complex, multi-faceted issue. Those looking for answers as to how such an epidemic could have happened, will need to examine a swath of individual problems, including:
- The enormous quantity of prescription opiates
- The limited patient knowledge of opiate risk
- That diversion of opiates to family and friends is so common that only 20% of those with opioid abuse problems are actually using opioids prescribed to them
- The struggle to adequately assess patient’s substance use history and risk of addiction when prescribing opiates
- The lack of clear guidance as to who should receive opiates and for how long
- The difficulty in maintaining patient adherence to withdrawal management treatment plans.
New solutions are needed to tackle each of these individual issues. At Magellan Health, we intend to do precisely that. The opioid addiction crisis has already taken a huge toll and it grows worse every day. It is manifesting itself in myriad ways among thousands of communities across the nation. At Magellan Health, we have an unyielding commitment to ending this epidemic.
