Introduction
Opioid use has been rapidly growing in the past few decades, resulting in the emerging trend of the opioid epidemic. Due to medication abuse, many individuals fall victim to heroin and opioid addiction, affecting not only their smaller circles but also communities as well. The Comprehensive Opioid Prescription Monitoring and Intervention Program aims to reduce the incidence of opioid abuse and offer timely interventions to high-risk individuals through prescription monitoring.
Problem Identification
Opioid prescriptions and medication abuse have become an acute issue in modern society. Opioid abuse and addiction, encompassing prescription opioid abuse, heroin use, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl, are a grave concern that impacts not just the well-being of numerous Americans but also the nation’s social and economic fabric (Salmond & Allread, 2019). In one month, 435,000 Americans used heroin (Bloomberg Television, 2017).
Between 2010 and 2014, the number of heroin overdoses nearly tripled. Prescriptions for opioids are linked to the cause of the expanding opioid epidemic (Bloomberg Television, 2017). There were 217 million active prescriptions for opioids for pain relief in 2012 compared to 79 million in 1992 (Bloomberg Television, 2017).
While the government worked to make prescription drugs difficult to abuse, heroin from Afghanistan and Mexico grew more affordable and accessible at the same time (Bloomberg Television, 2017). Because of this, four out of five newly addicted heroin users in the United States claim to have abused prescription painkillers in the past (Bloomberg Television, 2017). Therefore, the problem being addressed is the significant increase in heroin use and overdose cases in the United States, which is closely connected to the rise in opioid prescriptions.
Policy Options
Several policy options can help address the given issue. The first policy option is to establish an enhanced prescription monitoring program to create standardized processes for tracking opioid prescriptions. In such a case, it will be possible to identify and monitor the behaviors of high-risk individuals and offer prompt treatments.
Another policy option is to expand substance abuse treatment facilities. Comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care will help solve the problem by making such facilities readily accessible. Launching a campaign for public awareness and education is the last option. By using this strategy and enlisting the help of legislators and medical professionals, it will be feasible to inform the public about the dangers of opioid misuse and provide resources for avoidance, therapy, and rehabilitation.
The chosen policy option is the enhanced prescription monitoring program. The use of Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) grew in the twenty-first century, and health services researchers dug deeper into the effects these programs had on doctors and patients (Holmgren et al., 2020).
PDMPs lower the rate of opioid prescriptions, according to numerous studies (Holmgren et al., 2020). However, doctors may also be prescribing fewer opioids because they believe PDMPs will place a heavy administrative load on their practice (Holmgren et al., 2020). This is why the new policy will take a comprehensive approach to the issue and address its root cause. The policy can help identify the individuals at risk of opioid abuse in the early stages and intervene. In contrast, the other two options, while necessary for raising awareness and providing accessible facilities, fail to ensure effective monitoring and intervention.
Overview
The policy is named the “Comprehensive Opioid Prescription Monitoring and Intervention Program (COPMIP).” Here, the policy will involve a mechanism that will allow tracking of opioid prescriptions and identifying high-risk patients who abuse medication. As such, prompt assistance and interventions will be realized. Furthermore, it must be noted that the program’s objective is to stop the abuse of opioids and the use of heroin as a result. Overall, the impacts of the opioid epidemic can be reduced, and controlled pharmaceutical use can be ensured by constantly tracking prescription procedures and offering focused interventions.
Framing Questions
In the future, when talking about the policy, a few framing questions need to be addressed. First, it is essential to highlight that state and local healthcare authorities will work with the federal government to implement the program. This will enable a more comprehensive and practical approach to the problem.
In addition, all medical practitioners who prescribe opioids would be required to participate in the program and would be obligated to provide prescription data to the centralized surveillance system. The effort will be funded through budgetary allotments and government grants. Finally, the program’s goals will include ensuring patient safety and prompt actions in addition to preventing and reducing the use of opioids.
Criteria
The policy criteria are another critical component to consider. However, the strategy will deal with the recognized problem by putting in place a strong system for tracking opioid prescriptions and identifying people who might be in danger of abusing drugs. However, a more all-encompassing strategy will be used, including a high-risk patient support system that provides tools for interventions and prompt treatment. As a result, a program of this kind will benefit several stakeholder groups.
Consequently, several stakeholder groups will benefit from such a program. First, patients who have a history of drug abuse or are likely to abuse medications will benefit since the risks will be mitigated. Second, healthcare providers will also benefit from such a program, as they will make more informed decisions regarding the prescribing process. Finally, communities affected by opioid abuse will benefit due to a reduction in abuse rates.
Political Aspect
The federal and state governments, pharmacies, drug rehabilitation facilities, patient advocacy organizations, and law enforcement agencies are among the stakeholders for the given program. Addiction professionals, public health organizations, and communities impacted by opioid abuse are likely to support this strategy. At the same time, there may be groups likely to oppose the policy.
For example, certain medical professionals who are worried about an increase in administrative load could be potential critics. Consequently, the program will help several sectors, including law enforcement, social services, and public health. At the same time, policymakers must consider the negative aspects, such as increased costs associated with implementing surveillance mechanisms and intervention programs.
Operational Aspect
The given policy will require a phased implementation approach. Such an approach entails dividing tasks into smaller, more manageable parts, each with specific objectives and a deadline (Ginsburg et al., 2020). When implementing it in the program, it will be crucial to create and launch the prescription monitoring system. To ensure its full integration with existing healthcare systems, ongoing enforcement and monitoring of the program will be necessary. As a result, compelling and successful outcomes will be achieved.
Budget
After considering the stakeholders and the program’s influence, the budget must also be considered. Given that the policy is comprehensive and has several objectives, implementing it can be costly. More precisely, employee expenses, data administration, and system development associated with launching and maintaining the prescription monitoring program are budgetary factors. Simultaneously, there might be financial savings because of decreased healthcare costs associated with opiate abuse, improved patient safety, and a decline in heroin addiction cases and the associated social and economic costs. As such, the program’s benefits outweigh its drawbacks.
Economic Aspect
Ultimately, the program’s economic effects can be assessed through a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis. For example, as was previously mentioned, the costs in this specific scenario include supplies, upkeep monitoring, and employee remuneration. Reduced healthcare expenditures related to opioid usage, lower expenses for drug treatment centers and engagement in the criminal justice system, and enhanced social and productive outcomes for those in addiction recovery are some of the potential advantages in the meantime. Consequently, there are more benefits than drawbacks.
Conclusion
In summary, the COPMIP aims to reduce the frequency of opioid abuse and offer timely treatments to high-risk clients through prescription monitoring. In today’s society, prescribing opioids and abusing drugs have become major issues. This course of action is the prescription monitoring program.
The program’s objectives will be to avoid and decrease the use of opioids, as well as to ensure patient safety and timely interventions. The federal and state governments, pharmacies, drug treatment facilities, advocacy agencies, and law enforcement are among the initiative’s stakeholders. The policy in question requires a thorough implementation process. A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis could help assess the program’s financial implications.
References
Bloomberg Television. (2017). How America’s opioid crisis spiraled out of control. YouTube.
Ginsburg, O., Yip, C. H., Brooks, A., Cabanes, A., Caleffi, M., Dunstan Yataco, J. A., Gyawali, B., McCormack, V., McLaughlin de Anderson, M., Mehrotra, R., Mohar, A., Murillo, R., Pace, L. E., Paskett, E. D., Romanoff, A., Rositch, A. F., Scheel, J. R., Schneidman, M., Unger-Saldaña, K., Vanderpuye, V., … Anderson, B. O. (2020). Breast cancer early detection: A phased approach to implementation. Cancer, 126(10), 2379–2393.
Holmgren, A. J., Botelho, A., & Brandt, A. M. (2020). A history of prescription drug monitoring programs in the United States: Political appeal and public health efficacy. American Journal of Public Health, 110(8), 1191–1197.
Salmond, S., & Allread, V. (2019). A population health approach to America’s opioid epidemic. Orthopedic Nursing, 38(2), 95–108.