The impact of opioid prescribing reduction interventions on prescribing patterns across orthopedic subspecialties

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-179
Author(s):  
Justin Turcotte, PhD, MBA ◽  
Kevin Crowley, MBA, MS, PT ◽  
Stephanie Adams, MEd ◽  
David Keblish, MD ◽  
Cyrus Lashgari, MD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Pill Count ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Single Institution ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Opioid Prescription ◽  
Main Outcome Measure ◽  
Opioid Prescribing ◽  
Included Patient ◽  
The Impact

Objective: To date, the majority of studies have focused on the adverse effect of opioid overutilization on outcomes, risk factors for overutilization and dependence, and the development of procedure-specific guidelines. We present the results of a multiphased approach to reducing opioid prescribing.Design: A retrospective pre-post study of opioid prescriptions across 386,393 patient encounters was conducted. The preintervention cohort included patient encounters from November 2016 to March 2017, and the post-intervention cohort included encounters from April 2017 to October 2019.Setting: Single-institution orthopedic practice.Patients, participants: 386,393 patient encounters.Intervention: Multiple prescribing reduction interventions were implemented from April 2017 to July 2018.Main outcome measure: Average morphine milligram equivalent (MME) per patient encounter.Results: Implementation of the interventions resulted in an average reduction of 15.2 MME per encounter (54.5 percent) compared to the preimplementation cohort (pre: avg. MME = 27.9, SD 113.6; post: avg. MME = 12.7, SD 66.1; p 0.001). The number of pills per opioid prescription was reduced by 13.4 (29.5 percent) (pre: avg. pill count = 45.5, S.D. 25.1; post: avg. pill count = 32.1, SD 21.1; p 0.001), and the percent of patients receiving opioids was reduced from 8.3 percent to 5.8 percent (p 0.001). Prescribing compliance was evaluated for 7,664 surgical encounters, with 98.2 percent of prescriptions meeting stated guidelines; 5.5 percent of these encounters required second prescriptions.Conclusions: The use of a multiphase approach effectively reduced the opioid prescribing patterns of a large orthopedic practice and was successful across subspecialties. This approach provides a template that other institutions may use to reduce opioid overprescribing in orthopedic practices.

scholarly journals Opioid Prescribing Patterns for Low Back Pain Among Commercially Insured Children

Neurosurgery ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tej D Azad ◽  
Michael D Harries ◽  
Daniel Vail ◽  
Yi Jonathan Zhang ◽  
John K Ratliff
Keyword(s):  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Pediatric Population ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
Opioid Prescription ◽  
Opioid Prescribing

Abstract INTRODUCTION Low back pain (LBP) may affect up to 20% of the pediatric population. No specific guidelines exist regarding pharmacotherapy for acute LBP in the pediatric population. Given this observation and the lack of data available regarding pharmacotherapy for pediatric LBP, we sought to characterize patterns of opioid prescribing in the pediatric population. METHODS We used a national database to identify pediatric patients (age 5-17) with newly diagnosed with LBP between 2008 and 2015 who did not have a red flag diagnosis, had not received an opioid prescription in the 6 mo prior to diagnosis, and had 12-mo of continuous enrollment after diagnosis. We used logistic regression to model the association between sex, geographic region, categorical age, and our primary outcome, receipt of an opioid prescription in the year following diagnosis. RESULTS Our sample included 268 228 opioid-naïve pediatric patients diagnosed with LBP between 2008 and 2015. We observed that 47 631 (17.8%) patients received physical therapy, 29 903 (11.2%) patients received chiropractic manipulative therapy, 658 (0.25%) patients received epidural steroid injection, and 281 (0.10%) patients received surgery. A total of 35 274 (13.2%) pediatric LBP patients were prescribed opioids within 12 mo from their diagnosis. Opioid prescribing decreased in all age groups over the study period age group 5 to 9 decreased from 4.2% to 2.7%, age group 10 to 14 decreased from 10.3% to 7.7%, and age group 15 to 18 yr decreased from 20.9% to 17.1%. Female pediatric patients were more likely than male patients to receive an opioid prescription (OR, 1.12, P < .0001). Patients ages 10 to 14 (OR, 2.89, P < .0001) and 15 to 18 (OR, 6.98, P < .0001) were significantly more likely to be prescribed opioids compared to patients in the youngest age group. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, we report the first observational cohort study of opioids and LBP in the pediatric population. Our findings indicate that opioids are being used for newly diagnosed LBP and receipt of opioids are associated with patient demographic factors.

scholarly journals Impact of Laws Regulating Pain Clinics on Opioid Prescribing and Opioid-Related Toxicity Among Texas Medicare Part D Beneficiaries

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mukaila A. Raji ◽  
Yong-Fang Kuo ◽  
Nai-Wei Chen ◽  
Hunaid Hasan ◽  
Denise M. Wilkes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Medicare Part D ◽  
Medicare Part ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Opioid Prescription ◽  
Part D ◽  
Opioid Prescribing ◽  
Pain Clinics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Background: Pain management clinics are major sources of prescription opioids. Texas government passed several laws regulating pain clinics between 2009 and 2011 to reduce opioid-related toxicity. Understanding the impact of these laws can inform policy geared toward making the laws more effective in curbing the growing epidemic of opioid overdose, especially among the elderly population. Objectives: To examine the longitudinal association of laws regulating pain clinics on opioid-prescribing and opioid-related toxicity among Texas Medicare recipients. Methods: The 2007 to 2012 claims data for Texas Medicare Part D recipients were used to assess temporal trends in the percentage of patients filling any schedule II or schedule III opioid prescription, hospitalization for opioid toxicity, and their relationships to the 2009 to 2011 Texas laws regulating pain clinics. We excluded those with a cancer diagnosis. Join-point trend analysis with Bayesian Information Criterion selection methods were used to evaluate the change in monthly percentages of patients filling opioid prescriptions and hospitalization over time. Results: There was a short-lived decline in the monthly percentages of patients who filled a schedule II or schedule III opioid prescription after the 2009 laws regulating pain clinics. The decline lasted about 3 months. Subsequent new laws had no effect on the percentages of patients who filled any opioid prescription or were hospitalized for potential opioid toxicity. Hospitalizations for opioid toxicity were highest in the winter and lowest in the summer. Conclusions: Changes in the percentages of opioid-prescribing or opioid-related hospitalizations over time were not associated with laws regulating pain clinics.

scholarly journals Reduction in Hospital System Opioid Prescribing for Acute Pain Through Default Prescription Preference Settings: Pre–Post Study

10.2196/24360 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. e24360
Author(s):  
Benjamin Heritier Slovis ◽  
Jeffrey M Riggio ◽  
Melanie Girondo ◽  
Cara Martino ◽  
Bracken Babula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Duration Of Treatment ◽  
Opioid Prescription ◽  
Hospital System ◽  
Opioid Prescribing ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Prescribing Practice ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Background The United States is in an opioid epidemic. Passive decision support in the electronic health record (EHR) through opioid prescription presets may aid in curbing opioid dependence. Objective The objective of this study is to determine whether modification of opioid prescribing presets in the EHR could change prescribing patterns for an entire hospital system. Methods We performed a quasi-experimental retrospective pre–post analysis of a 24-month period before and after modifications to our EHR’s opioid prescription presets to match Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. We included all opioid prescriptions prescribed at our institution for nonchronic pain. Our modifications to the EHR include (1) making duration of treatment for an opioid prescription mandatory, (2) adding a quick button for 3 days’ duration while removing others, and (3) setting the default quantity of all oral opioid formulations to 10 tablets. We examined the quantity in tablets, duration in days, and proportion of prescriptions greater than 90 morphine milligram equivalents/day for our hospital system, and compared these values before and after our intervention for effect. Results There were 78,246 prescriptions included in our study written on 30,975 unique patients. There was a significant reduction for all opioid prescriptions pre versus post in (1) the overall median quantity of tablets dispensed (54 [IQR 40-120] vs 42 [IQR 18-90]; P<.001), (2) median duration of treatment (10.5 days [IQR 5.0-30] vs 7.5 days [IQR 3.0-30]; P<.001), and (3) proportion of prescriptions greater than 90 morphine milligram equivalents/day (27.46% [10,704/38,976; 95% CI 27.02%-27.91%] vs 22.86% [8979/39,270; 95% CI 22.45%-23.28%]; P<.001). Conclusions Modifications of opioid prescribing presets in the EHR can improve prescribing practice patterns. Reducing duration and quantity of opioid prescriptions could reduce the risk of dependence and overdose.

Current Opioid Prescribing Patterns after Microdirect Laryngoscopy

2019 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly N. Huston ◽  
Rouya Kamizi ◽  
Tanya K. Meyer ◽  
Albert L. Merati ◽  
John Paul Giliberto
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Opioid Abuse ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Opioid Analgesia ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Prescribing Practices ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Opioid Prescription ◽  
Opioid Prescribing

Background: The prevalence of opioid abuse has become epidemic in the United States. Microdirect laryngoscopy (MDL) is a common otolaryngological procedure, yet prescribing practices for opioids following this operation are not well characterized. Objective: To characterize current opioid-prescribing patterns among otolaryngologists performing MDL. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of otolaryngologists at a national laryngology meeting. Results: Fifty-eight of 205 physician registrants (response rate 28%) completed the survey. Fifty-nine percent of respondents were fellowship-trained in laryngology. Respondents performed an average of 13.3 MDLs per month. Thirty-four percent of surgeons prescribe opioids for over two-thirds of their MDLs, while only 7% of surgeons never prescribe opioids. Eighty-eight percent of surgeons prescribed a combination opioid and acetaminophen compound, hydrocodone being the most common opioid component. Many surgeons prescribe non-opioid analgesics as well, with 70% and 84% of surgeons recommending acetaminophen and ibuprofen after MDL respectively. When opioids were prescribed, patient preference, difficult exposure and history of opioid use were the most influential patient factors. Concerns of opioid abuse, the physician role in the opioid crisis, and literature about postoperative non-opioid analgesia were also underlying themes in influencing opioid prescription patterns after MDL. Conclusions: In this study, over 90% of practicing physicians surveyed are prescribing opioids after MDL, though many are also prescribing non-opioid analgesia as well. Further studies should be completed to investigate the needs of patients following MDL in order to allow physicians to selectively and appropriately prescribe opioid analgesia postoperatively.

scholarly journals 3377 A cross-sectional analysis of opioid prescribing patterns among gynecologic oncologists using Medicare fee-for service provider utilization & payment data

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 31-31
Author(s):  
David Samuel ◽  
Devin Miller ◽  
Sara Isani ◽  
Dennis Kuo ◽  
Gregory Gressel
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Fee For Service ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Opioid Prescription ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Opioid Prescribing ◽  
National Medical

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Opioids are the first-line treatment for moderate to severe cancer-related pain. Increased awareness of opioid prescription misuse and adverse outcomes has prompted statements on their use from multiple national medical groups. In this study we characterize national-level opioid prescription patterns among gynecologic oncologists treating Medicare beneficiaries. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) database was used to access Medicare Part D beneficiary data (2016). All available opioid claims prescribed by gynecologic oncologists were identified. Medication type, prescription length and other prescribing factors were recorded. Physician demographics were obtained from departmental websites and accrediting bodies. Physicians with <10 opioid claims are not included in the CMS database. Bivariate statistical analysis including chi-squared, Fisher’s exact test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were performed to compare variables with threshold for significance set at p<0.05. Linear regression modeling was also performed to examine association of gender with number of opioids prescribed. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: A total of 494 board-certified gynecologic oncologists were included in this analysis. In 2016, gynecologic oncologists wrote 23,584 opioid prescriptions for 267,824 days of treatment (average of 9.24 prescribed days per claim). The most commonly prescribed opioid was oxycodone/acetaminophen (41%). Male physicians had significantly more opioid prescription claims than females (p<0.01) including after adjusting for differences in years of experience. The majority of physicians had 11-50 opioid prescription claims (68%). A minority were high prescribing physicians with >100 opioid claims (11%). Of these, the overwhelming majority were male (82%) and late career (46%, >15 years since board certification). Physicians in the South had the greatest number of opioid prescription claims and significantly more than physicians in the Northeast, who had the fewest (p<0.01). Mean number of opioid claims increased with increasing years of experience (p<0.05). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Among gynecologic oncologists, there were gender-based, regional and experience-related variations in opioid prescribing in the Medicare population in 2016. Further longitudinal studies are required to elucidate secular trends in opioid prescription practice.

Telehealth acceptability and opioid prescribing patterns of providers of painful chronic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey of sickle cell providers

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 489-497
Author(s):  
Martha O. Kenney, MD ◽  
Benjamin Becerra, DrPH; MBA, MPH, MS ◽  
Sean Alexander Beatty, BA ◽  
Wally R. Smith, MD
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Prescribing Practices ◽  
Opioid Prescribing ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a rapid transition to telehealth services. It is unclear how subspecialists managing painful chronic diseases—such as sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited hemoglobinopathy with significant disparities in access and outcomes—have viewed the transition to telehealth or altered their pain management practices. This study elicits the views of sickle cell providers regarding their transition to telehealth and their opioid prescribing patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design: An anonymous online survey was sent to eligible sickle cell providers.Setting: Comprehensive sickle cell centers and/or clinics across the United States. Participants: Physicians and advanced practice providers providing care to SCD patients.Main outcome measures: Respondents answered questions regarding their (1) views of telehealth compared to in-person encounters and (2) opioid prescribing practices during the early months of the pandemic.Results: Of the 130 eligible participants, 53 respondents from 35 different sickle cell centers completed at least 90 percent of the survey. Respondents reported a significant increase in telehealth encounters for routine and acute appointments (mean difference and standard deviation: 57.6 ± 31.9 percent, p 0.001 and 24.4 ± 34.1 percent, p 0.001, respectively) since COVID-19. The overwhelming majority of respondents reported no changes in their opioid prescribing patterns since COVID-19, despite increased telehealth use. Only a minority coprescribed naloxone as a risk mitigation strategy.Conclusion: The rapid uptake of telehealth has not suppressed ambulatory providers’ prescribing of opioids for SCD. Studies assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and telehealth on opioid prescribing practices in other painful chronic diseases are needed to ensure health equity for vulnerable pain patients.

Impact of the VA opioid safety initiative on pain management for cancer patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 102-102
Author(s):  
Mallika Marar ◽  
Vinit Nalawade ◽  
Neil Panjwani ◽  
Paul Riviere ◽  
Timothy Furnish ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Management ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Opioid Abuse ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Opioid Prescribing ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Safety Initiative

102 Background: Limited research exists on how risk reduction policies in response to the opioid epidemic have impacted pain management among cancer patients. This study investigated the impact of the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) on opioid prescribing patterns and opioid-related toxicity among patients undergoing definitive cancer treatment. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 42,064 opioid-naïve patients receiving definitive local therapy for prostate, lung, breast, and colorectal cancer at the VHA from 2011-2016. Interrupted time series analysis with segmented regression was used to evaluate the impact of the OSI, which launched October 2013. The primary outcome was the incidence of new opioid prescriptions with diagnosis or treatment. Secondary outcomes included rates of high daily dose opioid (≥ 100 morphine milligram equivalent) and concomitant benzodiazepine prescriptions. Additional long-term outcomes included persistent opioid use, opioid abuse diagnoses, pain-related ED visits, and opioid-related admissions. Results: Prior to OSI implementation, the incidence of opioid prescriptions among new cancer patients increased from 26.7% (95% CI 25.0 – 28.4) in the first quarter (Q1) of 2011 to 50.6% (95% CI 48.3 – 53.0) in Q3 2013. There was a monthly increase in opioid prescription rate pre-OSI followed by a monthly decrease post-OSI (Table). High-dose opioid prescriptions were rare, and the monthly rate was stable before and after the OSI. Monthly incidence of concomitant benzodiazepine prescriptions was stable pre-OSI and decreased post-OSI. Persistent opioid use increased pre-OSI and decreased post-OSI. Pain-related ED visits had an incidence of 0.8% (95% CI 0.4 – 1.0) in Q1 2011, 0.3% (95% CI 0.1 – 0.6) in Q3 2013, and 1.8% (95% CI 0.9 – 2.7) in Q4 2016, with an increasing monthly rate after the OSI. At three years, the cumulative incidence of opioid abuse was 1.2% for both the pre- and post-OSI groups but opioid-related admissions were greater in the pre-OSI cohort than the post-OSI cohort (0.9% vs. 0.5%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The OSI was associated with a decrease in new, persistent, and certain high-risk opioid prescribing as well as an increase in pain-related ED visits. Further research on patient-centered outcomes is required to optimize opioid prescribing policies for patients with cancer.[Table: see text]

Characteristics of Pharmaceutical Opinions Written in a Quebec Community Pharmacy

1992 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 835-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Dumas ◽  
Janine Matte
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Chemical Stability ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Dosing Schedule ◽  
Retrospective Survey ◽  
Main Outcome Measure ◽  
Therapeutic Value ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Impact

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of pharmaceutical opinions written in a community pharmacy and to estimate the possible effects of these opinions on patient drug profiles. DESIGN: Retrospective survey. SETTING: The community pharmacy where these opinions were written is located in a rural area of the province of Quebec. Only health-related items are sold and no merchandise is displayed in this pharmacy. PARTICIPANTS: Ten pharmacists worked at this pharmacy during the period of the study. INTERVENTION: Pharmacists were paid when they sent advice to a patient or a physician about the patient's drug profile or about the therapeutic value of a prescribed treatment. This survey included recommendations made from 1978 to 1983. A sample of 600 opinions was drawn at random from a total of 1992 opinions that had been written at the site of the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The impact of each opinion was assessed by analyzing patient drug profiles for three months after the opinion was written to determine if the recipient had followed the pharmacist's recommendation. RESULTS: Pharmacists, on their own initiative, sent 97.9 percent of the opinions. Only 1.7 percent of the opinions were requested by patients and 0.4 percent by physicians. Most opinions were addressed to patients (86.7 percent) rather than to physicians (13.3 percent). Almost four of five recommendations sent to patients were about compliance (45.1 percent) or were suggestions for improving the therapeutic effect of a medication or replacing a drug with nondrug treatment (33.4 percent). The three most common recommendations sent to prescribers were to replace one drug with another (25 percent), to change the dose or dosing schedule of a drug (16.3 percent), and to discontinue drug treatment (16.3 percent). Chemical stability, underuse or overuse of a medication, and adverse effects were the most frequent causes of recommendations sent to patients. Adverse effects, interactions, and the underuse of a medication were the most frequent reasons for recommendations sent to physicians. The proportion of recommendations that were implemented was 77.7 percent for patients and 58.1 percent for physicians. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmaceutical opinion seemed to be a good means of communicating with patients and prescribers on a wide variety of problems encountered in a community pharmacy. It allowed pharmacists to be paid for their expertise even if a drug was not dispensed. Also, the pharmaceutical opinion could compensate for the loss of income when the pharmacist recommended replacing a prescribed medicine with nondrug treatment.

scholarly journals Creating opioid dependence in the emergency department

CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suneel Upadhye
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Opioid Dependence ◽  
Prescribing Patterns ◽  
Clinical Question ◽  
Emergency Physicians ◽  
Naive Patient ◽  
Opioid Prescription ◽  
Opioid Prescribing

Clinical questionWhat is the risk of creating opioid dependence from an ED opioid prescription?Article chosenBarnett ML, Olenski AR, Jena AB. Opioid-prescribing patterns of emergency physicians and risk of long-term use. N Engl J Med 2017;376:663-73, doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1610524.ObjectiveThis study examined the risk of creating long-term opioid dependence from a prescription written in an opioid-naive patient in the ED.

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