A software system used to determine the risk of drug addiction was accused of denying users opioids on the basis it wrongly reckoned they were at risk of addiction.

Developed by Bamboo Health (formerly named Appriss), NarxCare is used across several US states to track prescriptions for drugs such as opioids and purports to identify and flag patients with ‘drug-shopping’ behaviours - people who might be lying to doctors about the pain they’re in in order to get opioids.

While marketed as a "decision support tool," in some cases the system recommended denying painkillers to people who suffer from severe pain and have no history of drug abuse, according to WIRED. 

Patients denied legal prescriptions have reported severe physical suffering, mental health crises, and, in some cases, being forced toward the illicit drug market to manage "unbearable" pain. 

The system was also accused of reinforcing existing racial and gender biases. 

Bamboo Health considers the NarxCare algorithm a trade secret. Because the formula is not public, neither doctors nor patients can verify how a score is calculated or challenge inaccuracies.

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://www.wired.com/story/opioid-drug-addiction-algorithm-chronic-pain/

• https://www.sicknote.co/p/the-algorithm-that-narcs-on-you

• https://read.deeplearning.ai/the-batch/issue-106/

• https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2021/8/31/the-tangled-mess-of-prescription-opioid-guidelines

• https://filtermag.org/pain-patients-opioids-fear/

• https://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/p2ofkc/a_sweeping_drug_addiction_risk_algorithm_has/