MYNORTHWEST NEWS

New initiative is reducing the amount of prescription drugs in circulation

Oct 26, 2018, 5:20 PM

Opioids...

(Pexels)

(Pexels)

A new effort to fight the opioid crisis in our state is making a significant dent in the number of prescription opioids in circulation.

RELATED: Doctors nudged by overdose letter prescribe fewer opioids

The Better Prescribing, Better Treatment Initiative was launched late last year and is part of the state’s Opioid Response Plan.

It’s a team effort between the Washington State Medical Association, Washington State Hospital Association, and the state Health Care Authority, as an effort to reduce the number of prescription opioids making their way into communities. And the eventual goal?

“To really work together to tackle the opiate epidemic by creating guidelines and then feedback to providers to help improve the quality of care that we’re delivering around opioid prescribing in the state,” said Dr. Nathan Schlicher a Tacoma ER doctor who helped create the initiative.

The initiative encourages prescribing doctors to follow new state Apple Health (Medicaid) guidelines for prescribing opioids, which limit the number of opioids doctors prescribe for acute – or temporary – pain to just a three-day supply, 18 pills, for those 20 and younger – and just a seven-day supply (42 pills) for adults.

“It’s really trying to go after that initial prescription because we do know that the longer you’re on an opiate for that first prescription the more likely you are to be in it in one and in three years,” Schlicher said.

Schlicher says less than a year after the program launched they’re seeing great results.

“We were able to make dramatic improvements in compliance with these guidelines. We dropped the number of non-compliant, or non-conforming scripts by almost 65 percent, and as we’ve done that I think a lot of providers have also re-evaluated whether or not they want to and need to prescribe opiates, and we’ve seen a drop in the number of acute pain prescriptions by almost 2,500 per quarter. That means there are about 10,000 less prescriptions out there in Washington.”

Schlicher says that’s huge because this is a numbers game.

RELATED: Washington to get $30M for opioid battle

“We know from SAMSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) data that 75 percent of opiates that people try for the first time come from friends, family or relatives that they’ve bought, or stolen, or been given,” Schlicher said.

“There’s a real problem with of numbers out there in the community. We believe that by getting these prescriptions down to the appropriate number, people using what they need, and then hopefully working on take-back programs that the Legislature passed last year, we can reduce that supply.”

Also helping drive down these opioid prescription numbers is the peer-to-peer data-sharing aspect included in this initiative — where doctors talking part in the program get to see not only how often they’re meeting those prescribing guidelines, but how their prescribing habits compare to other doctors through a physician feedback program.

“We doctors are known to be a slightly competitive breed of human beings, so ‘I don’t have to be first but I definitely don’t want to be worst’ is what we often hear,” Schlicher said.

Right now, there are about 20 health programs in our state taking part in the Better Prescribing Better Treatment initiative, which represents some 11,000 Apple Health prescribers in the state, and it is spreading beyond just Medicaid patients.

Schlicher hopes to see it expand statewide. “That’s my dream and my vision, you know, is that we will get there to have every provider enrolled and continue to work on making us all have better practices and down the road I think we’ll see that.”

This program is in addition to new state rules covering opioid prescribers that are set to be implemented in the fall, according to the Health Care Authority.

MyNorthwest News

KIRO Newsradio gracie awards...

MyNorthwest Staff

KIRO Newsradio anchors receive Gracie Awards for outstanding work

Heather Bosch and Lisa Brooks, anchors at KIRO Newsradio, have been honored by the Alliance for Women in Media with prestigious Gracie Awards.

2 hours ago

Kia Boys...

Kate Stone, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

‘Kia Boys’ allegedly execute a crime spree in south King County

Renton police chased down a 14-and 16-year-old but are still looking for two other teen suspects in what they said was a "crime spree" in south King County.

3 hours ago

Spanaway woman shot dead...

Kate Stone

Search for shooter continues after woman shot dead while driving in Spanaway

A 47-year-old woman was shot dead in Spanaway, causing her to hit another driver head-on early Wednesday morning.

4 hours ago

nintendo redmond...

Frank Sumrall

Nintendo to lay off 86 Redmond employees this spring

Nintendo of America is laying off 86 contract workers in Redmond, beginning May 25, due to company reorganization.

4 hours ago

Everett boy missing...

Sam Campbell

4-year-old Everett boy missing, police worried he’s in danger

Police and Search and Rescue crews are looking for a missing four-year-old boy they suspect could be in danger.

6 hours ago

Image: The awnings of a store advertise the sale of lottery tickets, including Mega Millions and Po...

Steve Coogan

Lottery jackpots update: Powerball prize jumps again after $1.1B Mega Millions win

A lottery jackpots update: The Powerball prize reached an estimated $935 million ahead of Saturday night's drawing.

15 hours ago

New initiative is reducing the amount of prescription drugs in circulation