Medscape (3/19, Brooks, Subscription Publication) reports, “Opioid overdose deaths in the United States involving prescription opioids and heroin decreased from 2017 to 2018, while deaths involving synthetic opioids (excluding methadone) increased,” CDC data indicate. Specifically, “from 2017, to 2018, US overdose death rates involving all opioids, prescription opioids, and heroin fell 2%, 13.5%, and 4.1%, respectively, while deaths involving synthetic opioids (other than methadone) jumped by 10%.”

Healio (3/19, Miller) reports the study authors “linked the decrease in prescription opioid-involved deaths to an increase in efforts to reduce high-dose opioid prescribing.” Investigators also “associated the increase in synthetic opioid-involved deaths to an uptick in illicitly manufactured fentanyl or fentanyl analogs in the illegal drug supply.” The findings were published online in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Healio (3/18, Dobkowski) reports, “Women veterans with PTSD had a significantly elevated risk for ischemic heart disease after adjusting for factors such as age, psychiatric disorders, ischemic heart disease risk factors, and alcohol and illicit drug dependence,” researchers concluded after analyzing “data from 835,197 women veterans (mean age, 50 years) who visited a VA medical center between 2000 and 2017.” The findings were slated for presentation at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session.

Related Links:

— “Ischemic heart disease risk elevated in women veterans with PTSD, “Darlene Dobkowski, Healio, March 18, 2020

CNN (3/17, Hunt) reports, “A review of existing research…found that a single dose of the main psychoactive ingredient (THC) in cannabis – equal to one joint – in otherwise healthy people, can temporarily induce psychiatric symptoms, including those associated with schizophrenia.” But, the review “found no evidence that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound in weed that’s used in some medicinal cannabis and other products, does induce psychiatric symptoms.” The findings were published in Lancet Psychiatry.

MedPage Today (3/17, Hlavinka) reports that the review included “nine studies involving 196 healthy young adults.”

Related Links:

— “Single joint linked with temporary psychiatric symptoms, review finds,  “Katie Hunt, CNN, March 17, 2020

The AP (3/17, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports CMS announced Medicare “will immediately expand coverage for telemedicine nationwide to help seniors with health problems stay home to avoid the coronavirus.” With the policy change, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to consult physicians, “while heeding public health advice to stay home during the outbreak.”

STAT (3/17, Facher) reports President Trump said “Medicare patients can now visit any doctor by phone or videoconference at no additional cost, including with commonly used services like FaceTime and Skype. A historic breakthrough – this has not been done before.” Federal health officials also said that they would stop enforcing many HIPAA provisions in order to facilitate the expanded use of telemedicine for seniors.

Among other sources providing coverage are: The Hill (3/17, Johnson), Modern Healthcare (3/17, Brady, Subscription Publication), and Healthcare IT News (3/17, Miliard).

Related Links:

— “To keep seniors safe at home, Medicare expands telemedicine, “Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, AP, March 17, 2020

The Washington Post (3/17, Achenbach) reports that many people are feeling grief amid the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Joshua Morganstein, the chair of APA’s Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters, said, “Right now people are feeling grief over the loss of routines, certainty, and a perception of themselves as being generally healthy and protected.” Dr. Morganstein and other “experts say there are steps people can take…to ease some of that anxiety and give a person a better sense of being in control of this chaotic situation. Some of the advice comes from research on natural disasters, mass shootings, terrorist attacks and other traumas.” For example, Dr. Morganstein said, “Things like getting good sleep, eating regularly, staying hydrated, exercising. When we take care of our body, with good sleep in particular, but certainly food and water, our ability to think clearly, our ability to solve problems, our ability to manage our emotions, are all optimized.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post, Requires login and subscription