Hearing the Unmet Needs of Patients Suffering Chronic Pain 3905 CLUM opioid ebook TCL single pages no crops 1 | Page 21

The data clearly illustrates that the opioid crisis is enormous . The devastation opioid abuse / addiction has on our health , productivity , economy , families and communities is an ongoing disaster . The opioid epidemic deserves our nation ’ s immediate attention .
The data also clearly demonstrates that our current medical approach to providing patients who are not experiencing cancer or surgery-related pain with opioids as an early intervention , is not working . Unfortunately , the nation ’ s current third-party reimbursement system promotes prescription drug responses over a deeper exploration of causation , inadvertently enabling progression of a person ’ s pain . This strategy leads to chronicity and further use and abuse of opioid medications .
It is clear from this patient-centered data analysis that consumers need and want access to non-pharmacological , non-addictive , hands-on care coupled with appropriate lifestyle recommendations for pain reduction and resolution absent the negative consequences of pharmaceutical intervention whenever possible . Our nation ’ s health , economy and spirit will be greatly improved when employers , administrators , insurance companies and patients have access to an extensive network of hands-on providers focused on patient-centric healthcare solutions ‘ beyond the pill .’
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