Convergence of government, payers and providers to solve the opioid epidemic

IBM Watson Health gathered multiple perspectives from healthcare leaders representing providers, payers and government agencies on the opioid crisis. 

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on IBM Watson's website. 

If you had unlimited funding and authority, what would you do to fix the opioid epidemic?

We discussed this question at an executive roundtable event with healthcare leaders representing providers, payers and government agencies. Multiple perspectives are important when addressing the opioid crisis, which is both vast and complex.

Opioid abuse exacts a devastating toll on communities, and there are costly effects for many stakeholders. Here are just a few suggestions, paraphrased from roundtable participants: 

• “Encourage multi-modal treatment by physicians and assess prescriptions as they go out.” – Director of quality, health plan
• “Improve access to treatment, especially care delivered by behavioral health providers.” – President, large health system
• “Improve data integration between hospitals and mental and behavioral health providers.” – Director of health services, county government
• “Use predictive analytics to identify at-risk patients earlier.” – Director, state government Continue Reading>> 

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