AMA, U.S. Governors Speak With One Voice on Opioid Epidemic

The nation’s opioid abuse epidemic has caught the attention of U.S. governors who teamed with the AMA in calling for concerted action to combat the rising incidence of opiate use and abuse.

“Governors and physicians find it unacceptable that nearly 30,000 Americans die each year from the misuse and abuse of prescription opioids and heroin,” said Gov. Charlie Baker (R-Mass.), chair of the National Governors Association Committee on Health and Human Services, Vice Chair Gov. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and AMA Board of Trustees Chair-elect and psychiatrist Patrice Harris, M.D., M.A., in a joint statement released last month.

“To end this national epidemic that claims the lives of so many of our family members and fellow citizens, governors, physicians, state legislatures and other stakeholders must join together to take action,” the governors and Harris stated. “We agree that physicians who prescribe opioids and other controlled substances benefit greatly when they use prescription drug monitoring programs [PDMPs]. These databases—when effectively funded, maintained, and integrated into everyday practice—are a powerful tool to identify potential signs of opioid abuse, enhance patient care, improve prescribing practices, and signal when a patient may need treatment for a substance use disorder.

“We agree that education about effective pain management, substance use disorder, and related areas should begin in medical school and continue throughout a physician’s career. That means physicians who prescribe opioids and other controlled substances must be sure they have the most up-to-date training and education to prescribe and administer those substances safely and effectively. It is imperative we provide care for patients in pain. However, prescribing medications excessively or ‘just in case’ is not acceptable and continues to fuel this growing epidemic. Guidelines are an important tool to prevent overprescribing and identify the signs of addiction while meeting the needs of patients in pain. We must also ensure patient satisfaction surveys and accreditation standards are not contributing to the problem by encouraging unnecessary opioid prescribing.”

The joint statement also called for prioritizing treatment for substance use disorder, saying a lack of resources combined with too few physicians trained to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Harris and the governors also said removing federal barriers to buprenorphine would go a long way toward closing that gap.

“The epidemic will continue to rage unless we expand our treatment systems and address the stigma that prevents so many individuals and families from seeking help,” they said. “In addition, we must continue to promote overdose prevention and education efforts. That includes increasing access to naloxone to reverse overdoses and save lives, as well as co-prescribing naloxone to those at risk of overdose. Prescribers have primary responsibility for ensuring patients understand that misuse of opioids can result in addiction, overdose, and death.” ■