About the Non-Opioid Directive
The Non-Opioid Directive is giving health patients in the State of Michigan the right to deny treatment with opioids. Four bills will require the directive to be offered and accessible to patients including: HB 5261, HB 5262, HB 5263 and HB 5264. The epidemic has taken thousands of lives and in 2018, Michigan was ranked No. 3 in the country with 2,591 deaths. This new law will require health professionals to offer the directive and inform patients the right to refuse opioids during treatment, as well as make the directive accessible to patients to find, sign and submit.
Each day approximately 130 Americans die from an opioid overdose and 5400 Americans develop a dependency on opioids or Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).
Surgery is one life event that exposes individuals to opioids. The other two more common events are dental extractions/surgery and injuries (like a back injury).
Surgery puts patients at risk for opioid dependency and OUD.
For individuals who are not already taking opioids, the risk of opioid dependency or OUD after surgery is approximately 9-13%.
Just one opioid prescription after a surgery adds thousands of dollars to the cost of care ($3700-$7700 additional costs that year depending on carrier).