Articles: treatment.
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This JGIM Perspective discusses new and emerging challenges with accessing controversial medical therapies like medical aid in dying and abortion. While some states permit these therapies for only their residents, other states prohibit these therapies for their own residents. We summarize recent developments and growing challenges for clinicians treating "medical tourism" patients from other jurisdictions.
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Most people who need and want treatment for opioid addiction cannot access it. Among those who do get treatment, only a fraction receive evidence-based, life-saving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). MOUD access is not simply a matter of needing more clinicians or expanding existing treatment capacity. ⋯ Minimally disruptive medicine (MDM) is a framework that focuses on achieving patient goals while imposing the smallest possible burden on patients' lives. Using MDM framing, we highlight how current medical practices and policies worsen the burden of treatment and illness, compound life demands, and strain resources. We then offer suggestions for programmatic and policy changes that would reduce disruption to the lives of those seeking care, improve health care quality and delivery, begin to address disparities and inequities, and save lives.