Study: Rx Painkillers Place ‘Substantial’ Burden on Hospitals

A report by researchers from Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University and Rush Medical College finds that overdoses from prescription painkillers place a "substantial" burden on hospitals and the economy. According to the report, opioid-based painkillers contributed to about 92,200 overdose-related hospital visits in 2010, costing an estimated $1.4 billion.

• "Opioids Prescribed by Doctors Led to 92,000 Overdoses in ERs in One Year" (Girion/Kaplan, "Science Now," Los Angeles Times, 10/27).