Navitus Launches Predictive Analytics for the Misuse of Opioids to Help Combat U.S. Opioid Epidemic

MADISON, Wis., July 13, 2021 – Navitus Health Solutions, a full pass-through pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), recently launched its latest addition to the suite of Opioid Safety Solutions – Predictive Analytics for the Misuse of Opioids (PAMO) – as part of the company’s ongoing initiative to combat the public health epidemic.

In addition to the ongoing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. opioid epidemic has grown into a much more complicated and deadly risk. It is estimated that more than two million Americans abuse opioids,¹ and more than 40 states have reported increases in opioid-related mortality as well as ongoing concerns for those with a mental illness or substance use disorder (SUD).² In 2019, more than 14,000 people died from an overdose involving prescription opioids, a 400% increase in the last ten years.³

“At Navitus, we realize the personal, physical and financial toll that opioid abuse has on individuals, families and our communities,” said Julie Olson, Vice President, Clinical Innovation at Navitus Health Solutions. “This is why we have taken a holistic approach to prevention and developed a suite of opioid safety solutions that include proactive methods such as non-opioid therapies, medication limits and provider education, and coupled them with our best-in-class fraud, waste and abuse program.”

PAMO, the newest component of Navitus’ suite of predictive analytics offerings and Opioid Safety Solutions program, takes a forward-looking approach to opioid abuse. Most opioid analytics tools are retrospective, looking at past prescription history to determine opioid misuse at the patient level. The PAMO analytics tool takes a proactive approach by looking at each plan member holistically and identifying those who may be at increased risk of opioid abuse.

PAMO’s reporting identifies and stratifies members into groups based on risk factors for opioid misuse, enabling preventative measures to be taken, thereby reducing the risk of overdose, unmanaged substance use or other negative outcomes. This allows plan sponsors to use their care coordination and case management resources more effectively.

“We believe PBMs are uniquely positioned and have a responsibility to help improve opioid prevention through innovative programs, like PAMO, that plans can leverage to protect their members from the risk of opioid overutilization,” said Olson. “Armed with information from the PAMO analysis, plan sponsors can use this data to better manage the coordination of care, improving health outcomes and reducing the risk of overdose.”

¹American Society of Anesthesiologists. Opioid Abuse. https://www.asahq.org/madeforthismoment/pain-management/opioid-treatment/opioid-abuse/.
²American Medical Association Issue brief: Reports of increases in opioid- and other drug-related overdose and other concerns during COVID pandemic. https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2020-12/issue-brief-increases-in-opioid-related-overdose.pdf. Published March 3, 2021.
³National Institute on Drug Abuse, https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates. Published January 9, 2021.

MORE ABOUT Julie Olson, DNP, MS, RN, CQIA

As a senior health care professional and doctoral prepared nurse, Julie brings nearly 30 years of diverse health care experience, including public health nursing, health outcomes research, public policy analysis and business development. She has served in a variety of roles at Navitus and was an integral member of the team that developed Lumicera Health Services, Navitus’ wholly-owned specialty pharmacy. Prior to joining Navitus, Julie was Associate Director at the Madison Birth Center and Health Policy Director at the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation.