Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2018 1:12 PM
NAHC has joined with other groups in the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association to write Congress asking them to continue to fight the opioid crisis but to make sure not to deny access to patients with a true need for them.
“Recently, nurses have become aware of incidences where patients have been denied access to clinically appropriate opioids:
- In one case, a patient who had been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and who was receiving palliative care was denied coverage of Oxycodone Extended Release 40 mg by their Medicare supplemental insurance plan, although this medication was deemed medically necessary by the staff to treat the patient’s pain.
- In another incident, a 73-year-old male cancer patient on Medicaid was initially denied coverage for a Fentanyl patch and Oxycodone despite having a cancer diagnosis with the prescription. This denial resulted in the patient being without medication for 24 hours until the access issue was resolved.
- An additional example includes a male patient suffering from metastatic prostate cancer who was refused a prescription from his physician for an opioid and was instead prescribed Tylenol #3 to deal with the pain associated with his diagnosis.”
NAHC is also encouraging Congress to offer funding to researchers looking into non-opioid solutions for all patients, specifically ones susceptible to addiction.
Source: NAHC
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