Deaths due to accidental opioid overdoses have reached unprecedented heights. In fact, according to new data from the National Safety Council, the odds of dying of an accidental opioid overdose are greater than being killed in a car accident in the United States. The odds for death by accidental opioid overdose are now 1 in 96, compared with 1 in 103 for car accidents. Recognizing the risk even in advance of the troubling new data, urgent care as an industry has taken steps to reduce opioid prescriptions. According to the current benchmarking report from the Urgent Care Association, 97% of urgent care centers have measures in place to monitor appropriate opioid prescribing. The Food and Drug Administration is also looking at ways to stem the epidemic. Just this week, the FDA announced it plans to require unit of dose packaging sometime in the first half of this year.
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Urgent Care Responds to Unprecedented Opioid Risk