Thursday Thoughts

Employee Benefit News offers a perspective on how employer sponsored health plans can help with the opioid epidemic. The article focuses on improving addiction treatment coverage. It also mentions at the top that employers and plans should encourage members to safely dispose of unused prescription drugs. In that regard,

• The Drug Enforcement Agency is holding an semi-annual National Take Back Day on April 27. 
• The nation's pharmacies are supporting and supplementing this effort as explained in the CVS Health press release from last October. 
• A Health Affairs blog article discusses controlling opioids in the senior population sector. 

Healthcare Dive discusses a new value based oncology program that Humana began to roll out earlier this year in 11 states. The program "financially rewards providers for exceeding certain quality benchmarks over a one-year period."

The news has been discussing a surprising measles outbreak. Kaiser Health News reports the return of syphllis particularly in rural U.S. communities.  Measles can be prevented by a vaccine. Syphillis prevention depends on education / common sense.