National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization applauded Members of Congress for including key provisions related
to safe disposal of expired or no longer needed medication in the final opioid
legislative package that has passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan
support on October 3, 2018.
“Opioid abuse is truly a national
crisis, and one that the hospice community is dedicated to helping prevent and
treat,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach. “In fact, as a key part of this
nation’s grief support safety net, hospices are acutely aware of the toll that
this epidemic takes on families and communities.”
A provision in the passed
bill will help reduce the number of unused controlled substances at risk of
diversion or misuse by allowing qualified hospice employees to safely dispose
of these medications on site after the death of a patient, or when the
controlled substance is expired or no longer needed because the hospice
patient’s plan of care has been modified.
Granting appropriate hospice professionals the legal authority to
dispose of unused medication after a hospice patient’s death would not only
alleviate grieving families of this responsibility but also help prevent
potential diversion or illicit use of these drugs.
Opioids play a key role in
alleviating pain and suffering for those with advanced illness and at the end
of life. Patients admitted to hospice care frequently require intensive
medication management of both chronic conditions and symptoms associated with
end-stage disease such as pain, shortness of breath, nausea, delirium, and
depression. Our nation’s hospice and palliative care providers can be an
important part of the care continuum for people with serious pain, including
those with serious illness and facing the end of life, and should be looked at
as a resource for these populations.
