AMSUS Thought Leadership Forum: Protecting Patients and Individuals Against Opioid Overdose and its Associated Costs to Our Healthcare System

AMSUS Thought Leadership Forums are special events featuring a panel of Executive Advisory Council (EAC)/federal health leaders and subject matter experts from our Executive Advisory Board (EAB). These events focus on a single, important health issue affecting military, public, and Veterans health. 

Description: The increase in opioid-related mortality continues to escalate resulting in a worsening of the national crisis. Deaths due to prescription opioids, and more recently non‐prescription opioids, have accounted for much of the increase. CDC Provisional data indicate in a 12‐month period ending in September 2021, over 104,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, with estimated 78,388 deaths related to opioids. An average of 215 opioid-related deaths per day. The largest number ever recorded to date.

Progress against this crisis requires balanced information, education, increased awareness, and policy changes to enhance safety for all individuals at risk.

Utilization of a real-world evidence database with the evaluation of patients at risk of opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) can be applied to health systems to identify those at risk.  Implementation of criteria could potentially result in savings to the overall healthcare system.

After this presentation, attendees will be able to:

• Understand the opioid epidemic and the role of naloxone
• Develop criteria to identify patients at risk for opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD), utilizing real-world evidence
• Model the real-world evidence data within the participant’s own health system to evaluate impact of current programs and to identify areas for enhancement. Compare geographic differences due to co-prescribing laws or similar other programs

Target Audience: Healthcare providers serving veterans, active duty military and their dependents. Non-government healthcare providers, payers and pharmacists