Tag: emergency
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Overshadowed by Opioids, Meth is Back and Hospitalizations Surge
The number of people hospitalized because of amphetamine use is skyrocketing in the United States, but the resurgence of the drug largely has been overshadowed by the nation’s intense focus on opioids. Amphetamine-related hospitalizations jumped by about 245 percent from 2008 to 2015, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. That…
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Office of Civil Rights Issues Guidance on HIPAA in Light of Opioid Crisis
With an increased focus on opioid use and addiction, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights has issued guidance related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 due to misunderstandings over when a health care provider can share an individual’s protected health information in situations of overdose or…
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STUDY: Patients Prescribed Opioids in the ER Less Likely to Use Them Long Term
WASHINGTON – Compared to other medical settings, emergency patients who are prescribed opioids for the first time in the emergency department are less likely to become long-term users and more likely to be prescribed these powerful painkillers in accordance with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. A paper analyzing 5.2 million prescriptions for…
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Emergency Physicians: Georgia BCBS Policy Violates Federal Law
WASHINGTON, DC – The American College of Emergency Physicians and its Georgia Chapter recently announced a policy that Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia plans to implement in July, making subscribers pay for any emergency department visit that turns out not to be an emergency, violates the “prudent layperson” standard, which is codified in federal law,…