Opioid-related lawsuits are expected to generate more than $50 billion in settlement funds for states and localities to remediate the catastrophic consequences of the opioid crisis. Guidance on the distribution of settlement funds has primarily focused on reducing opioid-related deaths and other opioid-related harms and on improving treatment for substance use disorders. However, an effective approach to this crisis will also require primary prevention strategies to reduce unnecessary opioid initiation, particularly through effective pain management. Although numerous strategies have been implemented to slow the issuance of opioid prescriptions, little attention has been given to providing effective nonopioid alternatives for people in pain at the point when they initially seek care. This lack of a preventive focus represents a dangerous gap given that pain remains a leading reason people seek health care.
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Article co-written by Dr. Michele Maiers, Northwestern Health Sciences University's Executive Director of Research and Innovation. The article was published on the Rand Corporation website in 2023.
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2023
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2023
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Northwestern Health Sciences University, 2501 West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN 55431. https://www.nwhealth.edu/library/
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Rand Corporation