Dr Jeff White: Best Practices for Preventing Opioid Misuse

Jeff White, PharmD, MS, staff vice president, Anthem, outlines best practices for preventing opioid misuse.

Transcript

What are some best practices for opioid management in order to prevent misuse?

Best practices include hard policies to help ensure clinically appropriate use. For example, 7-day supply limit for individuals newly starting on a short-acting opioid. Also, prior authorization for individuals newly starting on a long-acting opioid therapy. Also, medication assisted therapy, such as buprenorphine and naltrexone, should be made available, and also making available the rescue antidote called naloxone for those who are high risk for overdose.

Additional best practices include monitoring and understanding use patterns by prescribers and patients and developing and implementing programs that help guide clinically appropriate therapy.