WCRI to Present Research on Florida Ban on Physician Dispensing of Opioids at National Rx Drug Abuse Summit
Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) April 18, 2014 -- Dr. Richard Victor, executive director of the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), will discuss findings from the Institute’s study, Impact of Banning Physician Dispensing of Opioids in Florida, at the 2014 National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in Atlanta, GA, April 22–24, 2014.
The study examines changes in opioid use among newly injured workers before and after the implementation of House Bill 7095, which banned physician dispensing of stronger opioids in Florida, effective July 1, 2011. The study analyzes whether data is consistent with patients of physician-dispensers receiving more opioids than necessary. The session starts at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 in room A706.
“It is an honor to join so many distinguished individuals at such an important forum,” said Dr. Victor. “The research I am presenting provides tentative evidence that is consistent with patients of physician-dispensers receiving more opioids than necessary. If this evidence is correct, it could shift the policy debate from whether or not there are substantial benefits to some patients from physician dispensing, to whether or not there are substantial harms to some patients from physician dispensing.”
WCRI will join members of the U.S. Congress, as well as many other federal, state, and local officials at the Summit, including:
- U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers, Chair, Committee on Appropriations
- Michael P. Botticelli, Acting Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Dr. Francis S. Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health
- Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz, Chief Medical Officer, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse
“We are pleased to have WCRI presenting their research at the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit,” said Dan Smoot, CEO of Operation UNITE, which is the organization hosting the conference. “For decades, they have been providing the public with objective, credible, and high quality research regarding the care that injured workers are given. Since prescription drugs is a large part of the treatment that injured workers receive, it is essential that we involve them in this discussion.”
The National Rx Drug Abuse Summit is considered the largest national collaboration of professionals from local, state, and federal agencies; businesses; academia; clinicians; treatment providers; counselors; educators; state and national leaders; and advocates impacted by prescription drug abuse. This year’s summit is taking place at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA, April 22–24, 2014. For more information, visit http://nationalrxdrugabusesummit.org/.
ABOUT WCRI:
The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) is an independent, not-for-profit research organization providing high-quality, objective information about public policy issues involving workers' compensation systems. Organized in late 1983, the Institute does not take positions on the issues it researches; rather, it provides information obtained through studies and data collection efforts, which conform to recognized scientific methods. Objectivity is further ensured through rigorous, unbiased peer review procedures. WCRI's diverse membership includes employers; insurers; governmental entities; managed care companies; health care providers; insurance regulators; state labor organizations; and state administrative agencies in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Andrew Kenneally, Workers Compensation Research Institute, +1 (617) 661-9274 Ext: 257, [email protected]
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