Patients in New York may be certified to use medical marijuana as a substitute for opioids.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a transcript of a recent Talk Ten Tuesday broadcast featuring the author.
An interesting development in the use of medical marijuana was reported recently by a number of major news services (and by “major news services,” I am referring to TheMarijuanaHerald.com, TheDailyChronic.com, and Fox News).
It was reported on July 12 that the New York State Department of Health has filed emergency regulations adding any condition for which an opioid could be prescribed as a qualifying condition for the use of medical marijuana.
This is a major development because of the change in traditional thinking about sanctioned drugs, which are assumed to be “good for you,” and illegal drugs, which are presumably “bad for you.” As far as the federal government is concerned, marijuana is still an illegal, Schedule 1 drug.
This decision by New York has been made because of the avalanche of proof that prescription opioids can do more harm than good – while mounting evidence supports the fact that marijuana is effective as a pain reliever and is non-addictive.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid overdoses resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 people in the U.S. in 2016. These deaths were mostly attributable to heroin overdoses, but it has been proven that prescription opioids truly are a “gateway drug” to heroin in many cases. The CDC estimates the cost of treating prescription opioid overdose (ICD-10 code T40.2), prescription opioid abuse (ICD-10 codeF11.1), and prescription opioid dependence (ICD-10 code F11.2), has amounted to more than $1 trillion since 2001 when you include lost earnings, acute healthcare costs, treatment costs, and law enforcement costs.
So now, in New York, patients may be certified to use medical marijuana as a substitute for opioids for treatment of a condition for which the opioids were originally prescribed.
This will allow patients with severe pain, say from a total knee replacement, who did not meet the previous definition of chronic pain to use medical marijuana as a replacement for opioids.
In addition, patients with opioid use disorder (ICD-10 code F11.1 and F11.2) who are enrolled in treatment programs may now use medical marijuana as an opioid replacement.
The New York State Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, stated that “medical marijuana has been shown to be an effective treatment for pain that may also reduce the chance of opioid dependence.”
These emergency regulations went into effect on a temporary basis on July 12, 2018, with the permanent regulations expected to be published in the New York State Register on Aug. 1, 2018. Similar regulations are advancing in other states, including Illinois.
In another story, perhaps unrelated, I saw that the electronic health record (EHR) giant Epic has announced another big acquisition.
Last week Epic revealed that it has acquired Wisconsin’s second-most famous carousel from the historic Ella’s Deli and Ice Cream Parlor in Madison (the most famous carousel in Wisconsin is at the House on the Rock near Dodgeville).
The co-owner of the restaurant stated that “Epic Systems has purchased the carousel and the art collection, and they’re going to carry it forward into their campus in a real positive way.”
Later this month, Epic intends to move the 90-year-old carousel and the 250 “whimsical” (I say scary) pieces of art to its Verona, Wisc. location. The company plans to reassemble the carousel and keep it in working order on the Epic Campus.
In light of this news, I researched Wisconsin’s marijuana laws. It turns out that Wisconsin has some of the most restrictive marijuana laws in the country. But I suspect that buying a historic, operational merry-go-round and installing it on the grounds of a technology company with 9,400 employees, located deep in the country’s snow belt, sounded like a great idea after more than a few New Glarus Spotted Cow ales at a long, late Friday happy hour.
The lifting of regulatory limits on artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has the potential to revolutionize the industry, enabling faster diagnoses, more personalized treatments, and
Today’s hot topic takes a look through the leadership lens of guiding your teams through a software transition. In my case currently, it is a
Please log in to your account to comment on this article.
Physician queries are essential for accurate documentation and claims data, but they are increasingly scrutinized by payors, leading to denials and revenue leakage. This webcast, led by industry expert Cheryl Ericson, RN, MS, CCDS, CDIP, provides actionable strategies to craft compliant queries, reduce denials, and enhance revenue integrity. Attendees will gain insights into clinical validation queries, how to avoid common pitfalls, and learn best practices to defend against query denials. Don’t miss this opportunity to refine your query process and protect your organization’s financial health.
Master the complexities of heart failure coding with this expert-led webcast by Emily Montemayor, CCS, CMBCS, COC, CPC, CPMA. Discover strategies to ensure compliance with ICD-10-CM guidelines, documentation integrity, and capture comorbidities like CKD and hypertension. Learn how to resolve coding challenges, improve documentation practices, and submit clean claims to minimize denials and safeguard your organization’s financial health. With practical insights and real-world examples, this session equips you to prevent revenue leakage, enhance compliance, and secure optimal reimbursement—all while supporting better patient outcomes.
Prepare your organization for the 2025 OPPS updates with expert insights from Tiffani Bouchard, CCS, CRCR, a Revenue Integrity Professional with over 30 years of experience. This webcast will address critical challenges in charge capture and coding, providing clarity on APC policies, C-APC packaging, exclusions, and payer-specific requirements. Attendees will learn actionable strategies to ensure compliance, optimize reimbursement, and mitigate risks of claim denials. Gain the knowledge needed to implement updates effectively, educate your team, and maintain seamless revenue cycle operations in the face of evolving OPPS complexities.
Join Beth Wolf, MD, CPC, CCDS, for an in-depth webcast on the FY2025 spinal fusion MS-DRG updates. Discover key changes in DRG classification, understand impacts on documentation and CMI, and learn strategies to ensure compliance.
Dr. Ronald Hirsch dives into the basics of Medicare for clinicians to be successful as utilization review professionals. He’ll break down what Medicare does and doesn’t pay for, what services it provides and how hospitals get paid for providing those services – including both inpatient and outpatient. Learn how claims are prepared and how much patients must pay for their care. By attending our webcast, you will gain a new understanding of these issues and be better equipped to talk to patients, to their medical staff, and to their administrative team.
Hospitals face growing challenges in measuring observation metrics due to inconsistencies in classification, payer policies, and benchmarking practices. Join Tiffany Ferguson, LMSW, CMAC, ACM, and Anuja Mohla, DO, FACP, MBA, ACPA-C, CHCQM-PHYADV as they provide critical insights into refining observation metrics. This webcast will address key issues affecting observation data integrity and offer strategies for improving consistency in reporting. You will learn how to define meaningful metrics, clarify commonly misinterpreted terms, and apply best practices for benchmarking, and gain actionable strategies to enhance observation data reliability, mitigate financial risk, and drive better decision-making.
The 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule brings significant changes to payment rates, coverage, and coding for physician services, impacting practices nationwide. Join Stanley Nachimson, MS., as he provides a comprehensive guide to understanding these updates, offering actionable insights on new Medicare-covered services, revised coding rules, and payment policies effective January 1. Learn how to adapt your practices to maintain compliance, maximize reimbursement, and plan for revenue in 2025. Whether you’re a physician, coder, or financial staff member, this session equips you with the tools to navigate Medicare’s evolving requirements confidently and efficiently.
Dr. Ronald Hirsch provides critical details on the new Medicare Appeal Process for Status Changes for patients whose status changes during their hospital stay. He also delves into other scenarios of hospital patients receiving custodial care or medically unnecessary services where patient notifications may be needed along with the processes necessary to ensure compliance with state and federal guidance.
Copyright © 2025 ICD10monitor. Powered by MedLearn Media.
Prepare for the 2025 CMS IPPS Final Rule with ICD10monitor’s IPPSPalooza! Click HERE to learn more
Get 15% OFF on all educational webcasts at ICD10monitor with code JULYFOURTH24 until July 4, 2024—start learning today!
CYBER WEEK IS HERE! Don’t miss your chance to get 20% off now until Dec. 2 with code CYBER24
