Opioid Relapse Research Paper

From as early as the 1990s, there has been statistical data to show that the opioid addiction epidemic has seen its significant amount of overdose death rates, sales and substance abuse of these prescription pain relievers increased over time. Regarding an outstandingly high concentration of opioid use in areas such as Delaware, Washington D.C, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, the United States has currently approximately that now as many as 20.1 million Americans addicted to some type of opioid (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Some of these most commonly prescribed opioid that is provided to some patients are Oxycodone, Vicodin and Percocet to effectively reduce chronic pain symptoms for either a short or long period

of time. Nevertheless, those who are prescribed an opioid medication does not always necessarily mean a guaranteed best course of treatment. Patients that are prescribed just one type of an opioid medication have shown clear signs of physical dependency on its frequent daily use, ultimately causing users to suffer from long-term physical, behavioral, and psychological effects on the body and mind.
Despite the circumstances of someone’s age, gender, race, ethnicity, geographic location or economic status, new consumers of the drug can unaware of the dangers and other repercussions of prolonged use if not properly warned. Without establishing the risk and side effect associated with the longevity of opioid consummation, individuals that are reported misusing or abusing opioids will often turn to other narcotics having the same effects on the body and mind, such as the street drug heroin. Eventually, the medical and health communities have started endless movements to campaign against the iPod outbreak to find up to date alternatives to make certain that opioids are used appropriately and working to prevent any further tragedies.
As a result, the federal government has proposed new and previous legislation be set in action help to those affected users of the opioid-related painkillers. Policymakers have set up countless goals and certain guidelines that a professional and patient must adhere to primarily to focus on the improvement of the quality of life when those who have been affiliated with an opioid addiction. Legislations that were made to make those improvements in life included policies such as Multicomponent Plans, Multi-Agency Plans and prescribing practice guidelines for treating the inappropriate use of opioids in the nation. Being extremely concerned about the recent skyrocketing number of opioid relievers prescribed in the United State alone, The Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have collectively created strategic tools to support physicians. Government officials expected physicians to follow the guidelines process on when to make assessments for opioid medications, supervisions upon receiving, and a follow-up session when a patient is thought of misusing or abusing the prescription (Elinore McCance-Katz, Houry, & Collins, 2017).
b. Who was covered by the policy(s) and how?
Among the measures that are emplaced to prevent the opioid-related overdose death from rising, previous policy guidelines create a safeguard effect, meaning that all physicians are knowledgeable about the appropriate process to evaluate and manage the controlled opiates to treat their chronic pain. Physicians recommending patients to enter in an inpatient or outpatient facility treatment center to receive rehabilitation/ detoxification towards substance use, counseling, and drug therapy groups can be covered up to hundred percent depending on their personal healthcare or insurance company (Hoffman, 2018). When individual’s reach the age sixty-five and older, the federal government provides them with health insurance, including things like Medicaid and Medicare, with medical tests, prescriptions and services depending on person's geographical location. State and federal policies dealing with the ongoing opioid crisis have allowed for patients to complete in treatment intervention centers and being eligible to receive access to opioid agonists, under a State where those medications are covered by Medicaid. However, some opioid prescribed drugs will need a prior authorization before health-insurance companies will cover the payment. Likewise, healthcare providers have put limitations on refill dosages to ensure that no addictions occur.
Generally, with new expectations and regulations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policy guidelines, insurance agencies around the nation promote an alternative second opinion to review treatment options.

As evidence has shown that Buprenorphine is the most common form of medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction chosen by doctors in the United States covered under Medicare, it also means that prescription drug plan patients need to be screened and closely monitored for tendencies of misuses or abuse (JBS International, Inc, 2006). Americans who receive this form of assisted treatment, with controlled limited daily dosages, it minimizes the possibilities of relapse to opioid use and overdose, by preventing the powerful cravings and withdrawals. Another high-quality medication to battle opioid addiction incorporates Naltrexone and Suboxone treatments, which are much less dangerous and addicting to reduce the pain for individuals, families, and

society.
c. How was the policy(s) implemented?
At both the federal and state levels, leaders are working on implementing policy protocols to ensure a solution to lessen the availability of opioids and enforce the repercussions of prolonged use of opioid with education, additional warnings, and safety information in society. Targeted areas focused by officials to combat opioid abuse included educational initiatives available to increase the public's awareness, expansion of medication-assisted treatments to reduce overdoses, and use of prescription drug monitoring programs (Throckmorton, 2016). Determined to address the opioid abuse issue a high priority, healthcare units nationwide are working relentlessly to make it a priority to ensure the availability of resources that efficiently and effectively support response efforts to take steps that to reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality.
Furthermore, U.S.

departments began to commit to a better public health approach with numerous policy recommendations, statutory actions, public health interventions, and various laws that regulate pain management clinics being implemented. As states adapted to policy clinical guidelines for pain care and opioid prescribing, they were soon introduced to state prescription drug monitoring programs, which would ultimately discontinue prescription opioids when patients show signs of poorly controlled or no physical, functional, or improvement in opioid treatment. The implementation of drug monitoring programs decreased patients who may be at risk for drug misuse or addiction, by helping healthcare professionals to intervene at an early

stage.
d. What was the short-term and long-term goals and outcomes of the policy(s)?
Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared their policies of prescribing practice guidelines on ways to improve pain management development to be publicized, other clinical programs soon regulated with the same objectives. Because programs may differ in their own distinctive way to fight the opioid epidemic, recommendations for new comprehensive strategic planning methods are helping people achieve a better quality of life and cure chronic illnesses. A further and equally important consideration is that of the number of short and long-term strategic treatment goals that are appointed to patients to maximize their realistic outcomes in recovery. Healthcare providers cooperatively work with clinicians, as well as state and federal legislators, to start developmental plans to patients with improvement to the effective treatments of prevention, intervention, and support, helping lower the rate of relapse and overdosing on opiates.
Short-term goals, which can be accomplished within a twelve-month period, acknowledge policy changes made by government officials and therefore allows physicians and other healthcare professionals, talk to their patients and educate them about the new policies of prescription opioids. In the meantime, individuals receiving in or outpatient facility medication-assisted treatments, are setting realistic short-term goals to themselves by learning to effectively identify the problem of addiction and excused a plan for dealing with it and going forward.