Cutting Addictions to Help Cut Costs
This is a new strategy put into action for suspected patient abuse and to also help combat fraudulent activity. This is a result of the Department of Health and Human Services finding evidence of `doctor shopping`, where a patient will attempt to get multiple prescriptions from several physicians for addictive painkillers such as OxyContin and Percocet. The DHHS is also advising doctors who suspect this activity to issue 30 day or less supply prescriptions for these types of drugs to the patient.
In 2008 the Government Accountability office found that roughly 170,000 people enrolled in Medicare receive prescriptions from five or more health care providers for drugs that are often abused. This resulted in approximately $148 million in prescription medication costs, a good chunk of that was paid for by the government. So far this year alone the DHHS has recovered close to $3 billion incurred from healthcare fraud.
According to a report released last month by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention almost 15,000 Americans died from prescription painkiller overdoses in 2008, and it estimates that as of last year, 12 million Americans are abusing narcotic prescription pain relievers. Prescription painkiller abuse is responsible for more deaths than drugs such as cocaine and heroin combined. If you or someone you love has a problem with painkiller abuse/addiction, talk to your doctor and visit:www.na.org/ for more information on available treatments.
