Proposal to track Livingston County employee opioid data indefinitely postponed

The proposal in Livingston County, Michigan, that would implement a program to track county employees' de-identified opioid use won't be moving forward. 

It was a 5-4 decision after many public comments. 

"This specific proposal introduces unacceptable privacy risks," said one county employee. 

"I'm surprised at how widespread this problem is, so I encourage you to pass the Opioid Resolution," said a Genoa Township man. 

"For the board to cherry-pick what is or is not allowed really undermines the whole idea of having benefits for your employees and their families," said another commentator. 

It was a mixed bag of comments both for and against the Opioid Prevention and Clinical Risk Reduction Initiative at Monday night's meeting of the county Board of Commissioners. Wes Nakagiri, who introduced the proposal, said the pushback didn't come as a surprise. 

"I mean, not a total surprise before Monday, we got a number of emails from employees voicing opposition, voicing concern about the privacy and also interference between the doctor-patient relationship," Nakagiri said. 

The proposal would have implemented a program from Opioid Free America that would analyze the prescription data of county employees with the help of artificial intelligence and encourage prescribers to wean their patients off opioids. 

"It breaks workplace trust and constitutes employer overreach into our private medical lives," said the county employee. 

Nakagiri said he joined four other commissioners in voting to indefinitely postpone the program's implementation, and he said he wants to conduct further research and look into all the concerns raised by county employees. 

There are currently no plans to reintroduce the proposal.