Latest news with #opioidepidemic
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
Urgent care clinics are pushing pain pills that do little to treat conditions, new study finds
Urgent care clinics are reportedly pushing pills that do little to treat patients' medical conditions. Researchers said Tuesday that a substantial number of antibiotic, glucocorticoid, and opioid prescriptions were filled despite being deemed inappropriate given the patients' diagnoses — potentially resulting in harm. Antibiotics are commonly used to treat infections, glucocorticoids are steroids that can treat arthritis and asthma, and opioids are prescribed to treat pain. America's opioid epidemic, which has led to thousands of deaths, has been tied to an increase in painkiller prescriptions. "Previous studies had shown that patients continue to receive antibiotics for diagnoses where they may not be indicated, such as for a viral respiratory infection, especially in urgent care settings,' Dr. Shirley Cohen-Mekelburg, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a statement. 'Our findings reveal that this trend of inappropriate prescribing includes other classes of drugs — including glucocorticoids — and a variety of conditions.' The reason for these findings, they suggest, is tied to the knowledge of clinic doctors, demand from patients, and a lack of an information system to support the clinicians' decisions. "I think that opioids are generally overprescribed when the medical staff under appreciates the risks," Dr. Andrew Kolodny, medical director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University, told MedPage Today. "If the clinicians understood that their prescriptions were more likely to harm patients than help them, I think they'd prescribe more cautiously." Kolodny, who was not involved in the study, said that while opioid prescribing in general has been improving, data shows that 'we've got a long way to go when it comes to urgent care settings.' There are currently more than 14,000 urgent care centers located across the U.S.. They exist to bridge the gap between primary and emergency care, the Urgent Care Association notes. Many of these clinics have their own pharmacies and accept most insurance plans, according to the The American Journal of Managed Care. Using data from more than 22 million urgent care visits between 2018 to 2022, the researchers found that the visits resulted in nearly 2.8 million antibiotic prescriptions, more than 2 million prescriptions of glucocorticoids, and 299,210 opioid prescriptions. Of those, the fractions of the cases were categorized as 'never appropriate' or 'generally inappropriate,' with drugs handed out for health conditions the drugs were not meant to treat. Some 46 percent of patients with urinary symptoms received inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics and 41 percent of patients with bronchitis received inappropriate prescriptions of glucocorticoids. The cases were also related to middle-ear infections, sinus infections, non-back musculoskeletal pain, abdominal pain, digestive symptoms, and sprains and strains. It was not immediately clear what the effects of these prescriptions were, or if they had resulted in any harm. The researchers suggest that drug stewardship programs to optimize use of the drugs, using electronic health records, and further medication education could have an effect. 'Reducing inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics, glucocorticoids and opioids will require a multifaceted approach,' Cohen-Mekelburg said. 'Providers at urgent centers would benefit from greater support and feedback in making these decisions.'
CBS News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Maryland lawmakers meet to address Baltimore's federal priorities
Maryland lawmakers came together in Baltimore on Monday to discuss some federal priorities that would benefit the city and its residents. Mayor Brandon Scott hosted Maryland senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks, and congressmen Johnny Olszewski and Kweisi Mfume at City Hall to talk about public safety initiatives, the vacant properties concern, the fight against the opioid epidemic, and transportation improvements. The group also weighed in on the Trump administration's potential impact on Baltimore resources, according to the mayor's office. "Baltimore has the best federal delegation in the country, and that's especially clear in moments like this,"Mayor Scott said. "While so many Americans have representatives in DC voting to take away their health care and make life more expensive, we have true leaders fighting for the hardworking people of our city. They've delivered critical funding to improve public safety, expand housing options, invest in our young people, and so much more. Now, as that funding is under attack, we're more committed than ever to defending our progress and building a safer, more prosperous Baltimore for all of our residents." "When Baltimore succeeds, Maryland succeeds," added Senator Alsobrooks. "We will continue to work in coordination with the Mayor and the entire city leadership to deliver for the people of Baltimore and to fight back against this callous President." Baltimore is also relying on funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024. Demotion of the remaining spans is underway. The bridge is expected to cost $3 billion, which will be covered by the federal government as part of the disaster relief measure passed in December. "The money is on track for the replacement of the Key Bridg," Sen. Van Hollen said. Baltimore's overdose crisis On Thursday, July 10, at least 27 people were hospitalized following suspected overdoses in Baltimore's Penn North community. While officials have not confirmed what substance caused the overdoses, people at the scene told WJZ it was a drug called "New Jack City," allegedly laced with Freon or antifreeze, which can be poisonous. A woman in her 60s told our media partner, The Baltimore Banner, she overdosed after unknowingly ingesting a dangerous batch of drugs. The woman described buying heroin on North Avenue on July 10 and receiving a free "tester," a small sample of what turned out to be a potent and potentially lethal substance. According to The Banner, the woman snorted a fragment of a pill "smaller than the head of a match" before beginning to feel dizzy and disoriented. Fearing she might collapse in the street, she made her way to a nearby playground, where she eventually passed out. She was discovered nearly five hours later and transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital after reportedly going into cardiac arrest and receiving multiple doses of Narcan. Now, for the first time in 15 years, she is seeking treatment. Emergency responders and community partners were handing out Narcan and resources on how to get help. Overdose mortality rates in Baltimore City still far exceed state and national averages, according to city officials. Battling Baltimore's vacant property issues Maryland has made several efforts to address Baltimore's continuous vacant housing crisis. There are nearly 13,000 vacant homes in neighborhoods across Baltimore. In October 2024, Gov. Moore signed an executive order establishing the Reinvest Baltimore program, which combines city, state, and non-profit resources to help revitalize neighborhoods. Later, Moore announced a $50.8 million investment in the program to accelerate the rehabilitation of vacant properties. In June 2024, JPMorgan Chase, a company that has been in Baltimore for 130 years, announced an $8.5 million investment into the vacant home crisis, including $6 million for nonprofit organizations addressing the cause. Baltimore City also passed legislation to triple taxes on vacant homes beginning in 2026, escalating to quadruple rates if owners fail to act. In March of this year, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced a plan that would speed up the property development process in the city while maintaining safety standards and community input. The city has an ambitious plan to reduce that number to a "functional zero" within the next 15 years at a cost of $3 billion. Crime in Baltimore While violent crime is down in Baltimore, according to the mayor, the main concern are juvenile offenders. In a mid-year report, Baltimore City saw a 22% decrease in homicides and a 19% decrease in non-fatal shootings. Mayor Scott said the city's Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan, which aims to prevent violence with a public health approach, played a major role in reducing crime. Scott has also praised Baltimore City's Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) for helping curb youth violence. The GVRS program aims to provide guidance and engagement to individuals who are at risk of becoming perpetrators or victims of gun violence. However, there has been a recent rash of repeat juvenile offenders committing crimes in Baltimore. Recent cases include a 14-year-old who police say went on a crime spree in Northeast Baltimore, carjacking someone and robbing a delivery driver at gunpoint. A 15-year-old allegedly robbed and kidnapped a 12-year-old at gunpoint while he was walking to school in East Baltimore. Both were on electronic monitoring, prompting frustration in the community. "Electronic monitoring is a really important tool in the continuum to support young people, but we have to make sure we're using it appropriately and in the right circumstances," new Maryland Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services Betsy Fox Tolentino told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "So that means we're doing a really good evaluation, making recommendations for monitoring when it fits the situation. And with any tool, it's only as good as your operations around it." Tolentino added, "So, we want to make sure our operations and our frontline staff who are showing up every day for our young people have what they need to ensure they are able to support young people when they are in the community on monitoring."
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
Pensacola women charged in nationwide $14.6 billion healthcare scheme. How did it work?
The U.S. Department of Justice completed one of the largest healthcare related takedowns in the department's history in July. The National Health Care Fraud Takedown included 280 state and federal cases throughout 12 states and 50 federal districts. Four Pensacola women were also charged as part of $14.6 billion in total healthcare schemes. Alexandra Christensen, Lindsay McCray, Heather Bradley and Jennifer Purves were federally indicted for allegedly spending nearly a decade forging controlled substance prescriptions as part of conspiracy to resell the unlawfully obtained drugs. Here's what to know about the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown that involved the four Pensacola women. The 2025 National Health Care Fraud was a coordinated federal investigation involving multiple agencies that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General's Offices across the United States. The government seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as part of the coordinated enforcement efforts. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida John Heekin said the effort is meant to "root out healthcare fraud that wastes taxpayer funds, depletes resources needed for vulnerable patients, and contributes to the opioid epidemic plaguing our communities." The takedown involved various types of healthcare fraud, including fraudulent wound care, prescription opioid trafficking, telemedicine and genetic testing fraud, and even offenses involving transnational criminal organizations. In total, including the four Pensacola women, federal law enforcement says all the defendants so far defrauded various health care facilities of $14.6 billion by stealing and distributing 15.6 million controlled substances in pill form or submitting false claims to Medicare. The four women indicted by federal grand jury worked for a family medical practice that has multiple clinic locations throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. From Jan. 1, 2015, until June 25, 2024, McCray and Christensen allegedly abused access to the clinic's Electronic Medical Record system to print prescriptions under the Drug Enforcement Administration numbers of physicians at the clinic without their knowledge. They allegedly wrote these prescriptions to people who did not exist, totaling over 300,000 hydrocodone pills and over 30,000 oxycodone pills. Bradley and Purves then allegedly sold the pills to other individuals in the community. "The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets," Heekin said in a news release. McCray and Bradley are also charged with possessing amphetamine with the intent to distribute it throughout the community between November 2023 and June 2024. McCray and Purves are charged with distributing amphetamine between January 2024 and April 2024. Twenty nine defendants were charged for their roles in transnational criminal organizations alleged to have submitted over $12 billion in fraudulent claims to America's health insurance programs. That tally includes a nationwide investigation known as Operation Gold Rush, which resulted in the largest loss amount ever charged in a health care fraud case brought by the Department, a DOJ news release said. These charges were announced in the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of California, the Middle District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey against 19 defendants. Twelve of these defendants have been arrested, including four defendants who were apprehended in Estonia as a result of international cooperation with Estonian law enforcement and seven defendants who were arrested at U.S. airports and the U.S. border with Mexico, cutting off their intended escape routes as they attempted to avoid capture. The organization allegedly used a network of foreign straw owners, including individuals sent into the United States from abroad, who, acting at the direction of others using encrypted messaging and assumed identities from overseas, strategically bought dozens of medical supply companies located across the United States. They then rapidly submitted $10.6 billion in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare. The 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown included 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General's Offices across the United States, and resulted in: Criminal charges against 324 defendants Seizure of over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency Civil charges against 20 defendants for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, as well as civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million 29 defendants were charged for their roles in transnational criminal organizations alleged to have submitted over $12 billion in fraudulent claims to America's health insurance programs. 74 defendants, including 44 licensed medical professionals, being charged across 58 cases in connection with the alleged illegal diversion of over 15 million pills of prescription opioids and other controlled substances 49 defendants are being charged in connection with the submission of over $1.17 billion in allegedly fraudulent claims to Medicare resulting from telemedicine and genetic testing fraud schemes An additional 170 defendants with various other health care fraud schemes involving over $1.84 billion in allegedly false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance companies for diagnostic testing, medical visits, and treatments that were medically unnecessary, provided in connection with kickbacks and bribes, or never provided at all. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Operation Gold Rush healthcare part of scheme with Pensacola women
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
China to tighten controls on fentanyl-linked chemicals as US steps up pressure
China has announced stricter regulations on two chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl in a move that could signal progress on one of the most contentious issues in relations with the US. Starting 20 July, the Chinese government will place 4-piperidone and 1-Boc-4-piperidone under enhanced control as precursor substances for fentanyl, according to a joint statement from six state agencies. The two compounds are used to make fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid blamed for fuelling the opioid epidemic in the US, where drug overdoses have led to the deaths of nearly 450,000 people, Reuters reported. The decision follows a rare meeting in Beijing between China's minister of public security Wang Xiaohong and new US ambassador David Perdue where they discussed cooperation on curbing drug trafficking. It also comes just weeks after a phone call between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, who has made fighting fentanyl a central policy issue. 'The move demonstrates China's sincerity in wanting to work with the United States on this issue,' Yun Sun, director of the China programme at the Stimson Center, a think tank in Washington, told the New York Times. Chinese officials reject claims that they are responsible for the fentanyl crisis in the US. 'We've repeatedly made it clear that fentanyl is the United States' problem, not China's. It's the United States' responsibility to solve the issue,' Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said on Tuesday. 'China is one of the world's strictest countries on counternarcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation,' he said, according to the Global Times. ' The issue of fentanyl abuse does not exist in China. Besides, we've also fully promoted and deeply participated in the global governance of drug-related issues and carried out fruitful counternarcotics cooperation with other countries." Beijing has also criticised the US for maintaining punitive tariffs, originally imposed by the Trump administration in February, citing China's alleged inaction on fentanyl. The 20 per cent tariff was part of a broader trade war and remains in place despite a partial easing of other levies following a fragile truce agreed in Switzerland this May. China insists its latest measures are aligned with international conventions. 'The action on precursors was an independent measure taken by Beijing in line with the UN Drug Convention and demonstrates China's attitude of actively participating in global drug governance,' the foreign ministry said in a statement. As part of its ongoing crackdown on drugs, Chinese authorities said they have arrested 262 people for drug smuggling so far this year and confiscated 2.42 tonnes of narcotics. Additionally, over 1,300 people were prosecuted and more than 700 arrested between January and May for drug-related money laundering, a 2.1 per cent year-on-year increase. Miao Shengming, a senior official at the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the highest prosecutorial organ of China, pledged to 'cut off the criminal interest chain and destroy the economic foundation of drug crimes'. On Monday, a court in Fujian province handed a suspended death sentence to Liu Yuejin, a former senior narcotics official, for accepting bribes worth over £13m between 1992 and 2020. Meanwhile, the US has intensified its crackdown on financial networks supporting fentanyl trafficking. On Wednesday, the US Treasury sanctioned three Mexican financial institutions - CIBanco, Intercam Banco, and Vector Casa de Bolsa - for facilitating payments to Chinese suppliers, reported the Financial Times. These were the first actions under the Fend Off Fentanyl Act, passed last year to disrupt international fentanyl supply chains. 'These actions will effectively cut off the three institutions from doing business with US financial institutions,' said deputy treasury secretary Michael Faulkender. The Mexican finance ministry, however, said it had yet to receive evidence supporting the allegations. Vector rejected the charges, stating it had only engaged in transactions with legitimate companies. The other institutions were not immediately available for comment.
CBS News
25-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Colorado attorney general offering $3M grant to provide naloxone to nonprofits
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is awarding $3 million in grant funding to provide free naloxone to nonprofits across the state, in an effort to prevent deadly opioid overdoses. Naloxone, often referred to by its brand name, "Narcan," is a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. One woman who credits the drug with saving her life said the funding could help others in similar situations. "The first two times were from a complete stranger who felt like I was worth saving," said Rica Rodriguez, who now works with Promotores de Esperanza, one of the nonprofits receiving the grant. "And then the third time was a cousin, who eventually ended up passing of an overdose himself." Rica Rodriguez, of Promotores de Esperanza, a nonprofit receiving grant money for naloxone, describes her experience being rescued by the medicine on several occasions. CBS The money comes from settlements with drug manufacturers held responsible for contributing to the opioid epidemic. Weiser, who's running for governor in 2026, says he's helped secure $132.6 million as part of these legal settlements and says he's using these funds to support prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction strategies in Colorado.
