June 16, 2018--Great show again for the Biz side of #PartnersinHealth and Business (#http://www.pihradio.net.) I had Linda Fischer a leader at the amazing e-prescribe Rockville company, #DrFirst, talking about new tech fighting our crisis in opioid (and other) addictions. DrFirst is helping healthcare pros and insurance find, track and reduce addictive Rxs.
Among others we added in my specialty, senior health care, since drug mix-ups are so prevalent in our older population. One article notes that "3 in 10 adults ages 57 to 84" already use at 5 medications. Narconon adds that "last year 2.8 million seniors abused prescription drugs; a number that continues to grow."
Of course it's not just older Americans that are using opioids and other meds in abusive ways. Fischer knows this and more from her own work beyond Dr.First, taking a prominent role in the national fight against opioid addiction. She is a member of the Opioid Task Force of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), which is advocating for the federal government to become more involved in dealing with this crisis.
Fischer's report is very timely, at least here in Maryland. On July 1, prescribers statewide will need to check the state’s prescription drug monitoring program database before prescribing controlled substances.
To hear a more intense conversation Fischer and I had about some of the amazing gatherings--of medical records and of health experts--in which we both have complementary expertise, then check the June 16th episode linked above.
Of course to be a guest and/or advertiser on Partners in Health and Biz, email me at wendyjm.PIH@gmail.com or check our main website: http://www.partnersinhealth.biz
