With the current opioid crisis on the rise, doctors and pharmacies have been getting a large bulk of the blame. But at the end of the day, insurance companies hold just as a great of a responsibility. They have continued to authorize the sale of opioid medication while making doctors jump through no hoops to approve other newer and safer medications. This article goes over a couple of examples such as one patient getting their butrans patch denied, forcing the patient to start using long acting morphine. A far more dangerous and addictive medication. This has caused major issues for pain-management doctors. Safer prescriptions are often more expensive, so a majority of insurance companies will only approve other cheaper options have been tried. This will more than often include opiodis. It is a fine line to walk trying to prescribe medication that will be safe, approved and inexpensive.
