NASHVILLE - In a state that ranks No. 2 nationally in terms of prescriptions written for addictive opioid pain medications and where more people died last year from drug overdoses than car crashes, Tennessee's largest health insurer is working to change a culture.
Chattanooga-based BlueCross BlueShield executives on Tuesday described to state Senate Commerce and Insurance Committee members various steps the nonprofit insurer is taking to address problems in areas ranging from educating doctors on best practices for opioid use to influencing prescribing patterns.
Dr. Andrea Willis, BlueCross' chief medical officer, laid out a series of stark Tennessee statistics, including the state's No. 2 ranking for prescriptions, the estimated 1,450 people who died from drug overdoses in 2015 and nearly 1,000 babies born last year to mothers who used painkillers and thus were exposed in the womb to the addictive drugs.
The headquarters of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is on Cameron Hill in downtown Chattanooga.