The Opioid Epidemic and the Role of Reimbursement

Government and third-party payers have historically reimbursed providers via the fee-for-service model that rewards quantity at the expense of quality. 1 Th is reimbursement structure has produced many unintended consequences, one of which is likely a role in the overprescription of opioids. In such a system, providers rarely have more than 15 or 20 minutes for a patient visit. Th is has created enormous time pressures, and unfortunately the time constraints are getting worse.