Physician-approved protocols increase naloxone dispensing rates.

Objective: To measure the impact of the implementation of a law that allows pharmacists to provide naloxone under a physician-approved protocol on naloxone dispensing rates in an all-payer population across the United States.

Methods: Prescription claims from a national grocery chain for 31 states and Area Heath Resource File were used for this retrospective study. The study sample included all patients who filled at least one naloxone prescription during the study period from July 16, 2014 to January 16, 2017.

Association Between a State Law Allowing Pharmacists to Dispense Naloxone Without a Prescription and Naloxone Dispensing Rates.

Importance: Between 2015 and 2017, Ohio had the second highest number of opioid-related deaths. In July 2015, the Ohio General Assembly approved a law allowing pharmacists to dispense naloxone without a prescription in accordance with a physician-approved protocol. This change in the law allowed pharmacists to have more opportunity to participate in the management of patients who were addicted to opioids.

Strategies and policies to address the opioid epidemic: A case study of Ohio.

Objective: To describe the strategies and policies implemented in Ohio to improve opioid safety and to discuss the role that pharmacists can play in implementing, promoting, and enhancing the effectiveness of these policies.

Setting: Ohio has the fifth highest rate of drug overdose deaths (24.6 deaths per 100,000) in the United States.

Provision of Recommended Chronic Pain Assessment and Management in Primary Care: Does Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition Make a Difference?

Background: Chronic pain (CP) care in the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model has not been well studied. We assessed whether PCMH recognition is associated with increased provision of key practice recommendations for CP assessment and management.

Methods: Chart reviews were completed for 12 primary care practices affiliated with one health system in the Cincinnati Area Research and Improvement Group (CARInG).