App gives friends, family power to prevent opioid overdose deaths
OpiRescue by RxAssurance wins SAMHSA overdose prevention challenge
The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced that OpiRescue received the top prize in its Opioid Overdose Prevention Challenge.
To help combat the rise in opioid-related overdose deaths, RxAssurance, a Denver-based prescription optimization company, created OpiRescue. The free, lifesaving app is for family and friends of those who are on opioid medication, or who may have become addicted to opioids.
OpiRescue is available for download at no cost for iPhone and Android and offers information about signs and symptoms of overdose, instructions to administer Naloxone and SAMHSA resources and is available in English and Spanish.
Overdose is common among people who use illicit opioids such as heroin, and among those who misuse medications prescribed for pain, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and morphine.
In just one year, 38,000 people died from overdose in the United States – more than those who died from either homicides or traffic crashes. And, 22,000 of those deaths involved prescription opioids; more than 3,000 involved heroin.
This summer, SAMHSA called on developers, researchers and innovators to create a technology-based solution to help prevent and reduce the number of deaths from opioid overdose, assist with finding treatment, and support recovery by using material from SAMHSA’s Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit.
“We are thrilled to receive the top prize in the SAMHSA Opioid Overdose Prevention Challenge,” said Robert Valuck, PhD, RPh, Chief Strategy Officer at RxAssurance. “Opioid overdose deaths have risen to epidemic levels in the United States, and we have developed and are now launching solutions to help physicians, patients, and their family members and loved ones use opioid medications effectively and safely.”
RxAssurance, the creators of OpiRescue also created a solution, OpiSafe, to help care providers better manage opioid prescribing and monitoring. OpiSafe performs risk stratification for each patient on the basis of Morphine Equivalent dosing ranges, Pain and Function scores, Opioid Misuse Risk scores and automated PDMP checks.
About RxAssurance
RxAssurance believes that technology can make a long lasting, positive impact on the wellbeing of patients. Knowing what happens when a patient leaves the care of their provider is a critical missing piece of the healthcare puzzle. Our solutions are designed to address this critical gap, bringing behavioral economics, the psychology of online user interaction and global availability together to keep patients working their way towards healthy habits that ensure safe and effective medication therapy outcomes. For more information, visit www.rxassurance.com.