The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute approved approximately $9.8 million to fund two studies centered on reducing unsafe opioid prescribing practices.
Here's what you should know:
1. The studies are centered on strategies both payers and physicians can use to ensure opioids are used safely.
2. The institute awarded $150 million in total funding to studies based around improving pain treatment.
3. The institute awarded one study $5.7 million to explore a Medicaid payer strategy that increases access to non-drug strategies to treat lower back pain.
4. The other study was awarded $4.1 million to assess whether different inventions could sway providers to using more evidence-based care for acute non-cancer pains.