DHCFP helps spur statewide opioid abuse prevention efforts
Some 619 Nevadans died from drug
overdose in 2015, according to the latest data available from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Nationally, opioid overdoses have quadrupled
since 1999.
The Nevada Division of Health Care
Financing and Policy (DHCFP) is addressing prescription opioid abuse with
several statewide partners by supporting guidelines for medical practitioners
who prescribe opioids for chronic pain. Those guidelines include: setting
stricter quantity limits on opioid prescriptions, prior authorization approval
for long-acting narcotics, and reimbursement for alternatives to prescription
medication use, such as physical, occupational and cognitive behavior therapies
or a combination of behavioral therapy and closely monitored medication.
Another step in preventing opioid
overdose is ready access to naloxone. When a person has an opioid overdose, breathing
can slow down or stop. Naloxone helps breathing rates return to normal.
Emergency medical services
personnel can administer naloxone injections to resuscitate patients in the
early stages of opioid overdose. In 2015, Nevada passed the Good Samaritan Drug
Overdose Act, allowing family members, friends or other concerned bystanders to
administer naloxone under a prescription authorized by a health care
professional. DHCFP staff is also helping to administer a two-year, $5.6
million federal grant, providing Medicaid recipients with greater access to opioid
addiction prevention and treatment programs.
Its efforts are part of a new
Nevada initiative to create a sustainable treatment infrastructure, the
Governor’s Opioid State Action Accountability Taskforce.
For more information on the DHCFP’s
efforts, click on this link: Prescription Opioid Use
For details on the Nevada Rural
Opioid Overdose Reversal (NROOR) program, click here: NROOR Program Overview and Update