Pacira & Aetna expand partnership to combat opioid epidemic: 4 things to know

Pacira Pharmaceuticals and Aetna are expanding their collaboration effort, according to Yahoo! Finance.

Here are four things to know:

1. Aetna recently updated its online provider directory DocFind, which helps members find surgeons who offer non-opioid pain management solutions, such as Exparel, a bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension, to reduce postoperative pain.

2. DocFind visitors will now be able to find physicians offering alternate pain management treatment options across a broad range of specialties, including oral, orthopedic, general and reconstructive surgery.

3. Paricia and Aetna hope to build off their national program with the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons that launched in September 2017. The program is designed to cut the number of opioids prescribed to Aetna patients.

4. Aetna also launched another program recently. Hal Paz, MD, Aetna's executive vice president and CMO, said, "We announced a new pilot program called Guardian Angel in which a registered nurse who's a certified mental health first aid instructor engages with a member who just had an overdose. She reaches out and helps them find solutions in their community to avoid future overdoses.

"Just in its very short history, this program has had a 40 percent engagement rate, which as many of you know is exceptionally high by industry standards."

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