In 2015, almost 12 million Medicare beneficiaries received at least 1 prescription of opioids (OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, fentanyl or their generic equivalents), at an estimated cost of $4.1 billion, according to a June 2016 report from the US Department of Health and Human Services - that's nearly 1 in 3 people on Medicare receiving a prescription for opioids in 2015.
The report confirms that the opioid epidemic affects people of all ages. “It’s not just a young person’s problem,” said Frederic Blum, PhD, director of addiction research at the University of Michigan, in U.S. News & World Report (“Nearly 1 in 3 on Medicare Get Commonly Abused Opioids” – June 22, 2016).
Blum calls the magnitude of the opioid use among seniors “astounding.” Each Medicare beneficiary who was prescribed a commonly abused opioid received an average of 5 prescriptions a year.
In 2014, more people died of drug overdoses than any previous year on record, and opioids were associated in 60% of those deaths.
In March 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines to address the opioid epidemic, recommending safe alternatives like physical therapy for most pain management.
The American Physical Therapy Association launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the risks of opioids and the safe alternative of physical therapy for long-term pain management. Learn more at our #ChoosePT page. There are SAFER ways to manage pain - by PHYSICAL THERAPY.