Medical Services for People Dependent on Opioids Rose 3,000% in Seven Years

A new study finds medical services for people dependent on opioids rose more than 3,000 percent between 2007 and 2014, according to Kaiser Health News.

The study is one of the first to analyze data from privately insured patients who are dependent on opioids. It was conducted by Fair Health, a nonprofit databank corporation focused on health care costs and insurance. Researchers used data from 150 million patients.

A diagnosis of opioid dependence often leads to office visits, lab tests and related treatments, the study found. Patients with an opioid dependency diagnosis used these services 217,000 times in 2007, and 7 million times in 2014.