In the second episode of The Saving Dose, John Hsu MD and William Pedranti go deep into the most dangerous misconceptions driving the opioid epidemic, why physicians are afraid to prescribe, what the difference between dependency and addiction actually means clinically, and why America is in its fourth decade of a crisis that has a known solution most patients never receive.
This episode covers the clinical realities most pain physicians will not say publicly, the myths inside the healthcare system that are directly causing patient harm, and what it would actually take to close the gap between the treatments that exist and the patients who need them.
In this episode:
Why over 90% of pain physicians John knows personally are afraid to prescribe opioids, and what that fear is doing to patients in legitimate pain.
The difference between opioid dependency and opioid use disorder, why the healthcare system keeps confusing the two, and why that confusion is costing lives.
What happened in pain medicine clinics after the 2016 CDC guidelines, the term that emerged in physician circles, and what it tells us about the consequences of policy without infrastructure.
Why a cancer patient on opioids for years is not an addict, and what happens when their medication is stopped without a proper taper.
The multimodal pain therapy approach John was using in 1999 that colleagues thought was acupuncture from China, and why Medicare took 30 years to catch up.
What happens when an OUD patient goes into surgery and their anesthesiologist does not know how to manage their medications, and why this scenario is more common than anyone admits.
88% of opioid overdoses today are from illicit fentanyl, not prescription medications, and what that means for how we are treating the wrong problem.
48 million Americans living with addiction, 5,000 board-certified addiction medicine physicians, and what that ratio says about why we are still in the fourth decade of this epidemic.
Why the medications that reduce overdose risk by more than 50% exist, and why only 25% of the people who need them are receiving them consistently.
About the Hosts
John Hsu, MD is the Founder and CEO of iPill and a practicing anesthesiologist with 25 years in pain management and addiction medicine. He has taken multiple products through FDA approval and commercial launch. Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hsu-md-300a8b2a/
William Pedranti is the COO of iPill, a Georgetown Law graduate, and co-founder of PENG Life Science Ventures. He has taken a biotech company from founding through FDA approval, commercial launch, and exit. Connect with William: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williampedranti/
Kendra Allen is the CRO of iPill with 20 years in behavioral health revenue strategy, payer contracting, and regulatory navigation. She founded and exited a national healthcare consulting firm. Connect with Kendra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-allen-cro/
Website: thesavingdose.com
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any treatment decisions.
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35 mins