COVID-19 Holds Lessons for the Opioid Epidemic Response

Tragically, the past year marked a record number of deaths attributed to opioid abuse.Over 100,000 lives lost, according to CDC, mainly due to increased fentanyl overdose. It was also a year of accountability. Major pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, and pharmacy chains have reached record opioid settlements filed by state and local governments. $50 billion— will be paid for over 20 years. Another factor that stood out in America’s new approach to the opioid epidemic was COVID-19. Specifically, what we learned from the healthcare industry’s response to the pandemic.

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“Covid-19 has revealed many problems that can be seen within the healthcare system across America, including regulatory complexities. OptumHealthcare Services Division united health care“The challenges of the pandemic have forced everyone to carefully consider all this regulation and realize that much of it is not in the best interest of patients. “It is imperative, then, that some of these innovations and best practices adopted during the pandemic become a permanent part of a truly modern healthcare system.”

worth We spoke to more than 20 experts across the country who played key roles during the darkest times of the pandemic and are now focused on other public health crises, such as the opioid epidemic. We represent a wide variety of positions, including physicians, hospital administrators, healthcare regulators, nonprofit executives, and private sector healthcare leaders. Views vary, but all see his COVID-19 as a watershed moment for the healthcare industry.

Some lessons have already become law. In the final hours of 2022, President Joe Biden has signed $1.7 trillion spending package It addresses a variety of health policy issues, including Medicaid redefinition. But the new Congress has to grapple with some elusive medical priorities. Despite widespread bipartisan support, Pre-approval, Increased price transparency of PBM (pharmaceutical benefit managers), more incentives to help Alternative payment model value-based care Telemedicine payment equality is still the top priority.

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As the healthcare industry seeks to capitalize on the lessons learned during the pandemic, it is critical that policymakers work together to shape a patient-first environment where local health authorities can innovate and customize approaches that best suit their communities. will be

Appendix K paved the way for innovation for the most vulnerable

For a behind-the-scenes look at how innovation unfolded during the pandemic, worth We spoke with Jon Hamdorf, a veteran healthcare executive who led the University of Kansas. $4 billion Medicaid Program under Governor Sam Brownback and Governor Jeff Collier. During Covid, he served as his COO of his United Healthcare in Kansas. “The pandemic has pushed the healthcare system to its limits. It has exposed a lot of problems. “From a Medicaid perspective, the key lever is Appendix K, which is included in the waiver for home-based and community-based delivery of Medicaid services. This little caveat within Medicaid regulation is basically an “emergency switch” that allows the state to use her declaration of PHE to try all sorts of new ways to provide healthcare during the pandemic. “was. Across the country, Appendix K has given Medicaid administrators a license to innovate like never before. ”

Telemedicine has been a game changer

Perhaps the biggest change has been the widespread acceptance of telemedicine. This is a feature that most medical experts predict Congress will codify as a permanent feature of the U.S. healthcare system.

“Telemedicine and asynchronous digital care during Covid has been a game changer. Not only have we saved lives, but we have improved access bottlenecks for countless individuals. Fairview Health Service. In 2022, >1/3 of all patients I received some kind of virtual therapy across the country. 38 times It indicates that the majority will use telemedicine in the future. “There is absolutely no reason why we cannot take advantage and apply all the innovations caused by Covid. [them] It impacts other health crises such as substance abuse and the opioid epidemic, just to name a few,” added Vardani.

National autonomy and public-private partnerships are key

Another area where there has been tremendous innovation is at the state level, especially PPP (Public Private Partnership). When local health officials realized they were winning the pandemic, a much more agile private sector was essential to fill the gaps and develop programs.Final Report on State Response to Covid-19Assess each state’s relative resilience to the pandemic. While there have been several high-profile cases of private sector abuses during Covid, in many cases states that have sought help from private industry (Utah, Maine, Vermont, etc.) States that rely heavily on infrastructure (e.g. California, New Jersey, Hawaii).

For example, consider Covid testing at the beginning of 2020. Diagnostic infrastructure was completely overwhelmed by demand, so many governors from both parties sought private sector partners with the resources to set up and procure large-scale remote testing centers. It’s a move that has proven important in tracking the spread of the virus.

Under normal circumstances, collaborations between regulators, biotechnology, diagnostic companies and private health services companies are rare and hard to put together Due to complex agreements, various strategic interests and pure economics. But during the pandemic, unity became necessary. Many innovative public-private partnerships were born and ultimately played an important role.

Health equity remains a struggle

Despite being optimistic about leveraging the lessons of the pandemic era, Dr. Alistair Martin is a former White House public health and policy adviser and now CEO. healthier democracy, sees some potential pitfalls. “Although the consolidation of resources to deal with Covid has been transformative, health equity has unfortunately been an afterthought. It overlooks the reality of species communities, left particularly devastated by the virus,” commented Dr. Martin. He cited a COVID-19 testing facility in a parking lot. Gillette Stadium Closes at 6pm daily. “Great idea, but how does a single mom like this, who works until 6:30pm every day and doesn’t have transportation, take advantage of a site like this? She can’t. It’s a kind of health equity issue that has characterized us in the early days, and we need to make sure we don’t make mistakes like this as we move forward.”

Applying pandemic-era lessons to other public health crises

Accepting telemedicine visits seems like a foregone conclusion, but there are still underlying social determinants of health that need to be addressed. Broadband connectivity and access to digital devices.Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Act Repealed More than $400 million in rural broadband investmentbut there are still deserts of connectivity across rural states, and lingering gaps in communities of color.

The efficacy and creativity that emerged during the pandemic are innovations that support the healthcare industry as it seeks to address the opioid crisis and other public health issues.

COVID-19 took Over 1 million people live in the United StatesNow it is up to our healthcare system to harness the lessons from this disruptive period of history and build a new model to address the country’s most salient public healthcare challenges.