Category Archives: by Martin Rosenzweig

3 ways Optum is working to end the opioid epidemic

Opioid medications can be an essential part of treatment for those with short-term medical conditions and serious chronic or long-term conditions. Yet opioids can come with a high risk of addiction, overdose and fatality. Every 13 minutes, someone in the United States dies from an opioid overdose.1 More than 68 percent of the 72,000 drug […]
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Treating opioid use disorder for what it is: A chronic medical condition

In the United States, opioid use disorder (OUD) is an epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day 91 Americans lose their lives to opioid overdose.1 Many of us know someone who has a substance use disorder. Yet stigma and lack of understanding thwart efforts to deal with the crisis on […]
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Taming the rising cost of substance use disorders

Today, substance use disorders (SUDs) among people ages 18 to 25 far exceeds that of adults 26 and older. Substance use disorder encompasses abuse of alcohol and drugs, the use of illegal substances such as heroin, as well as legal substances such as prescription medications not prescribed or recommended by a physician. While the overall […]
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