Opioids block pain signals in the brain. When prescribed and used properly, opioids can help to make pain more manageable. Opioids also have dangerous side effects such as sleepiness, impaired thinking, addiction, overdose, and even death. Studies have shown that people who are prescribed opioids from multiple prescribers or obtainContinue Reading
Opioids are used to manage short-term pain after a medical procedure or injury. Longer use of opioids may increase the risk for opioid dependence or unused medications that are not properly disposed of. This report identified a decrease in prescriptions written for 7 days or longer over the past fewContinue Reading
Benzodiazepines are prescribed for conditions such as anxiety or insomnia and opioids are used to manage pain. Combining these medications amplifies the risk of accidents and unintentional respiratory depression. This report determined that the overall use of benzodiazepines and opioids together has decreased, but only for older adults. Click hereContinue Reading
May 12, 2022 The Wisconsin Health Information Organization (WHIO) is proud to provide InfoByte: Antibiotics Prescriptions in Wisconsin. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control showed that the top 10% of antibiotic prescribers were responsible for 41% of antibiotic prescriptions for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. ThisContinue Reading
January 13, 2022 The Wisconsin Health Information Organization (WHIO) is pleased to provide a new report, Hospital Admission Rates for Short-Term Complications of Diabetes: Comparison of Wisconsin Counties. This report contains important information about the variation in hospital admissions for people who have diabetes – an ambulatory care sensitive conditionContinue Reading
September 28, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of Wisconsin life including mental and physical health, how we use our health care services and the economics of health care. As Wisconsin continues its economic recovery and to re-establish health care services, it is important to use objective informationContinue Reading
March 12, 2021 Telehealth services are an emerging care model. The WHIO reports on the use of telehealth services in Wisconsin to inform policy makers, providers, health plans, employers, and the public on trends in Wisconsin. The COVID-19 pandemic made it problematic for patients to complete an in person outpatientContinue Reading
Since the onset of the pandemic there has been speculation by news media, providers, payors, government leaders, and others about the impact of COVID-19 on health care utilization. The WHIO set out to answer this question – using the WHIO health care claims data – so that Wisconsin has factsContinue Reading
October 9, 2020 In April, the WHIO published an InfoByte on viral respiratory disease as a baseline by which we can compare the impact of Coronavirus. Now, six months into the pandemic, the WHIO is bringing you an update to those earlier benchmarks. In this InfoByte, viral respiratory disease hasContinue Reading
July 7, 2020 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), among others, have all recognized the potential for COVID-19 to have a significant impact on people already suffering from mental health and substance abuse disorders. Today, I amContinue Reading