Opioids Initiative

Combating the Opioid Epidemic in America

The National Alliance brings together coalition members and healthcare stakeholders to address the issues and challenges employers face regarding the opioid epidemic. This initiative demonstrates the impact of opioid use on employers and employees and includes effective interventions — including healthcare and community partnerships — to prevent and treat opioid misuse.

Our Next Steps

A panel of coalition leaders is defining a national framework and conducting a baseline assessment of employer efforts to deploy best practices nationwide. Alternative payment models, and an Action Brief and other educational tools will provide employers with strategies and best practices to combat opioid misuse within the workplace.

Opioids Resources for Employers

Opioids Support

Helping employers support prevention, treatment and recovery

Accelerating Safety

A guide for provider organizations to improve opioid safety

Pain Management

Strategies to protect employees from opioid misuse

Featured Coalitions in Action

The Kentuckiana Health Collaborative is participating in a multi-year partnership with the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE) to leverage the healthcare purchaser community to address the epidemic of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder by implementing best practice benefit design and workplace policy to support prevention, treatment and recovery. Learn more.

Using the Milliman MedInsight Health Waste Calculator™, the Washington Health Alliance’s recent analysis of waste found that from 2014-2017 of the more than one million people prescribed opiates for back pain in the first four weeks, almost 470,000 received low-value services, at an estimated cost of nearly $90 million. The Alliance and the Bree Collaborate worked together to produce public education campaigns for health systems, plans, providers, and patients to help reduce opiate prescribing. Learn more.

Demonstrating its continuing commitment to responsible corporate citizenship, the Business Health Care Group (BHCG) has developed a toolkit of opioid communication materials for use by any employer nationwide, free of charge. The materials focus on workplace and safety issues, education, prevention, employee benefits, and assistance related to opioid dependence and misuse. Offered in a variety of media options, the materials include posters, business cards, window clings, table tents, video monitor content, and presentations. Learn more.

Our Collective Value Agenda:

Uniting and raising our voices together

Help employers understand the overall cost to their populations
Deploy an action plan for combating opioid misuse in the workplace
Advance the development of alternative payment/bundle management
Build relationships with health plans, employers, PBMs and other stakeholders to strengthen opioid prevention efforts
Use opioid management findings from the PBM Assessment and eValue8™ Mental Health Deep Dive to inform future efforts to deter opioid use and misuse
Adopt a national framework for coalition members to support in local and regional markets

“One of the biggest remaining gaps in confronting the opioid crisis in the workplace is employee education. Employers have been reluctant to accept that they or their employees may be affected. The misinformation and misunderstanding around opioids are significant and require a concerted educational effort.”

Gaye Fortner, CEO, HealthCare 21 and Opioid Initiative Advisor