DECEMBER - 20198In My OpinionTECHNOLOGY AND OPIOIDS Joseph Tu, Medical Director Chronic Pain Program, Cedars-SinaiByThe opioid epidemic has recently gained a spotlight in the public eye and has resulted in political and healthcare policy changes. Its infamy lies in the fact that this epidemic is costing the United States, as a nation both economically and in lives lost. The societal and economic burden of chronic pain has been well documented affecting more than 100 million Americans, and with total direct and indirect costs ranging from $560 billion up to $635 billion per year.To put this in to perspective, in terms of the landscape of chronic conditions, chronic pain affects more Americans than diabetes (29 million), coronary heart disease including strokes (18.7 million), and cancer (14.5 million) combined. In addition
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