Opioid prescribing report cards for physicians and requirements for insurance providers to cover alternatives to opioids for pain management including acupuncture and chiropractor visits are a couple of the innovations in new state laws passed to fight the opioid epidemic. Policymakers throughout the country have begun confronting the opioid crisis through new creative legislation.
Recently Greg met with Brian Allen, a policy expert and VP of Government affairs for Mitchell International. Allen advises lawmakers within the pharmaceutical industry, insurance issues and also those that deal with worker’s compensation. He provides insight into new regulations and legislation, publishes industry materials and also speaks at various conferences across the nation. In this podcast, Allen addresses some of the laws that various states have passed and innovative guidelines that have helped confront the opioid epidemic in America in hopes to bring about change.
Good discussion on an important topic. I’m surprised that Mr. Allen did not mention the word “chiropractic” in his entire 30 minute interview. With multiple state and national pain guidelines recommending chiropractic/spinal manipulation as an important alternative to opioids and legislative actions taken to increase its use, it’s surprising that chiropractic is somehow not on his radar. Physical therapy can be a very good option for patients, but comparative research gives the edge to chiropractic and spinal manipulation, especially with spinal conditions. It’s also one of the only non-pharmacologic options with research demonstrating lower opioid use, improved outcomes, and cost-savings.