Dataset Information

Effect of a high dosage opioid prior authorization policy on prescription opioid use, misuse, and overdose outcomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

High dosage opioid use is a risk factor for opioid-related overdose commonly cited in guidelines, recommendations, and policies. In 2012, the Oregon Medicaid program developed a prior authorization policy for opioid prescriptions above 120 mg per day morphine equivalent dose (MED). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of that policy on utilization, prescribing patterns, and health outcomes.

Methods

Using administrative claims data from Oregon and a control state (Colorado) between 2011 and 2013, we used difference-in-differences analyses to examine changes in utilization, measures of high risk opioid use, and overdose after introduction of the policy. We also evaluated opioid utilization in a cohort of individuals who were high dosage opioid users before the policy.

Results

Following implementation of Oregon's high dosage policy, the monthly probability of an opioid fill over 120 mg MED declined significantly by 1.7 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI]; -2.0% to -1.4%), whereas it increased significantly by 1.0 percentage points (95% CI 0.4% to 1.7%) for opioid fills < 61 mg MED. Fills of medications used to treat neuropathic pain also increased by 1.2 percentage points (95% CI 0.7% to 1.8%). The monthly probability of multiple pharmacy use declined by 0.1 percentage points (-0.2% to -0.0) following the prior authorization, but there were no significant changes in ED encounters or hospitalizations for opioid overdose. Among individuals who were using a high dosage opioid before the policy, there was a 20.3 percentage point (95% CI -15.3% to -25.3%) decline in estimated probability of having a high dosage fill after the policy.

Conclusions

Oregon's prior authorization policy was effective at reducing high dosage opioid prescriptions. While multiple pharmacy use also declined, we found no impact on opioid overdose were observed.

SUBMITTER: Hartung DM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9926935 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Effect of a high dosage opioid prior authorization policy on prescription opioid use, misuse, and overdose outcomes.

Hartung Daniel M DM Kim Hyunjee H Ahmed Sharia M SM Middleton Luke L Keast Shellie S Deyo Richard A RA Zhang Kun K McConnell K John KJ

Substance abuse 20180516 2

<h4>Background</h4>High dosage opioid use is a risk factor for opioid-related overdose commonly cited in guidelines, recommendations, and policies. In 2012, the Oregon Medicaid program developed a prior authorization policy for opioid prescriptions above 120 mg per day morphine equivalent dose (MED). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of that policy on utilization, prescribing patterns, and health outcomes.<h4>Methods</h4>Using administrative claims data from Oregon and a control state (Co ...[more]

PMID: 29016245

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Project description:ImportanceDeaths due to opioid overdose have tripled in the last decade. Efforts to curb this trend have focused on restricting the prescription opioid supply; however, the near-term effects of such efforts are unknown.ObjectiveTo project effects of interventions to lower prescription opioid misuse on opioid overdose deaths from 2016 to 2025.Design, setting, and participantsThis system dynamics (mathematical) model of the US opioid epidemic projected outcomes of simulated individuals who engage in nonmedical prescription or illicit opioid use from 2016 to 2025. The analysis was performed in 2018 by retrospectively calibrating the model from 2002 to 2015 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.InterventionsComparison of interventions that would lower the incidence of prescription opioid misuse from 2016 to 2025 based on historical trends (a 7.5% reduction per year) and 50% faster than historical trends (an 11.3% reduction per year), vs a circumstance in which the incidence of misuse remained constant after 2015.Main outcomes and measuresOpioid overdose deaths from prescription and illicit opioids from 2016 to 2025 under each intervention.ResultsUnder the status quo, the annual number of opioid overdose deaths is projected to increase from 33 100 in 2015 to 81 700 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 63 600-101 700) in 2025 (a 147% increase from 2015). From 2016 to 2025, 700 400 (95% UI, 590 200-817 100) individuals in the United States are projected to die from opioid overdose, with 80% of the deaths attributable to illicit opioids. The number of individuals using illicit opioids is projected to increase by 61%-from 0.93 million (95% UI, 0.83-1.03 million) in 2015 to 1.50 million (95% UI, 0.98-2.22 million) by 2025. Across all interventions tested, further lowering the incidence of prescription opioid misuse from 2015 levels is projected to decrease overdose deaths by only 3.0% to 5.3%.Conclusions and relevanceThis study's findings suggest that interventions targeting prescription opioid misuse such as prescription monitoring programs may have a modest effect, at best, on the number of opioid overdose deaths in the near future. Additional policy interventions are urgently needed to change the course of the epidemic.

Project description:BackgroundVaginal delivery is the most common reason for hospitalization in the United States, and approximately 30% of women fill an opioid prescription after vaginal delivery, making this a common source of opioid exposure in women of reproductive age.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of receiving an opioid prescription after vaginal delivery on the risk of subsequent persistent opioid use, opioid use disorders, and overdose.Study designWe assembled a nationwide cohort of Medicaid beneficiaries in the United States using the Medicaid Analytic eXtract 2009-2014. The study population included pregnant women who delivered vaginally between 2009 and 2013 and were continuously enrolled in Medicaid from 90 days before to 365 days after delivery. We identified patients with prescription opioids dispensed within 7 days of the date of vaginal delivery. Persistent opioid use was defined as ≥10 opioid fills or >120 days' supply dispensed from 30 to 365 days after delivery. Incident diagnoses of opioid use disorder and overdose were ascertained during the same interval. Propensity score matching was used to control for potential confounding factors.ResultsAmong 459,829 pregnancies ending in vaginal deliveries, 140,807 (30.62%) had an opioid dispensed within 7 days of delivery. Overall, 5770 of 140,807 (4.10%) women who filled an opioid prescription vs 2668 of 319,022 (0.84%) unexposed women had subsequent persistent opioid use, with an unadjusted relative risk of 4.90 (95% confidence interval, 4.68-5.13) and a risk difference of 3.26% (95% confidence interval, 3.15-3.37). After propensity score matching, the risk remained higher among pregnancies with an opioid prescription dispensed, with a relative risk of 2.57 (95% confidence interval, 2.43-2.72) and a risk difference of 2.21% (95% confidence interval, 2.08-2.33), which was confirmed by the instrumental variable analysis with a risk difference of 1.31% (95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.56) by using the rate of opioid prescribing at the delivery facility in a given geographic region as the instrument. The adjusted relative risk of newly diagnosed opioid use disorder and overdose was 1.48 (95% confidence interval, 1.40-1.57) and 1.92 (95% confidence interval, 1.20-3.09), respectively.ConclusionOpioid dispensing following vaginal delivery is associated with future persistent opioid use and misuse, independent of confounding factors. Opioid prescriptions to women after vaginal delivery should be avoided, except in rare circumstances.

Project description:Background and aimsSome adolescents and young adults (termed "youth") prescribed an opioid will develop opioid use disorder or experience overdose. This study aimed to identify patient and prescription characteristics associated with subsequent risk of opioid use disorder or overdose during the year after an opioid is first dispensed.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingCommercial health insurance claims in a large United States (US) database from 2006 to 2016.ParticipantsYouth age 11 to 25 years filling an initial opioid prescription (n = 3 278 990).MeasurementsThe primary outcome was development of an 'opioid-related complication' (a diagnosis of opioid use disorder or opioid-related overdose) during the subsequent 12 months. Exposures of interest were patient (sociodemographic information, and physical and mental health diagnoses) and prescription characteristics (opioid formulation, dose, and duration).FindingsAmong youth filling an initial opioid prescription, median age was 18 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 16-21) and 56.1% were female. During the subsequent 12 months, 10 405 (0.3%) youth experienced an opioid-related complication. Conditions associated with increased risk included mood/anxiety disorders (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 4.45; 95% CI = 4.25-4.66) and substance use (aRR = 20.77; 95% CI = 19.74-21.84). Comorbid substance use disorders were present among 72.8% of youth experiencing an opioid-related complication and included alcohol (33.4%), cannabis (33.0%), nicotine (43.2%), and other substance use disorders (75.5%). Long-acting opioids (aRR = 2.59; 95% CI = 2.18-3.09) and longer durations were associated with increased risk (7-14 days: aRR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.08-1.22; ≥15 days: aRR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.80-2.12) compared with short-acting formulations and durations ≤3 days, respectively.ConclusionsAmong United States youth, complications after an initial opioid prescription appear to be relatively rare and appear to be associated with mood/anxiety disorders, substance use, comorbid substance use disorders, and prescriptions involving long-acting opioids or long durations.

Project description:ImportanceBuprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is associated with decreased morbidity and mortality. Despite its effectiveness, buprenorphine uptake has been limited relative to the burden of OUD. Prior authorization (PA) policies may present a barrier to treatment, though research is limited, particularly in Medicaid populations.ObjectiveTo assess whether removal of Medicaid PAs for buprenorphine to treat OUD is associated with changes in buprenorphine prescriptions for Medicaid enrollees.Design, setting, and participantsThis state-level, serial cross-sectional study used quarterly data from 2015 through the first quarter (January-March) of 2019 to compare buprenorphine prescriptions in states that did and did not remove Medicaid PAs. Analyses were conducted between June 10, 2021, and August 15, 2023. The study included 23 states with active Medicaid PAs for buprenorphine in 2015 that required similar PA policies in fee-for-service and managed care plans and had at least 2 quarters of pre- and postperiod buprenorphine prescribing data.ExposuresRemoval of Medicaid PA for at least 1 formulation of buprenorphine for OUD.Main outcomes and measuresThe main outcome was number of quarterly buprenorphine prescriptions per 1000 Medicaid enrollees.ResultsBetween 2015 and the first quarter of 2019, 6 states in the sample removed Medicaid PAs for at least 1 formulation of buprenorphine and had at least 2 quarters of pre- and postpolicy change data. Seventeen states maintained buprenorphine PAs throughout the study period. At baseline, relative to states that repealed PAs, states that maintained PAs had lower buprenorphine prescribing per 1000 Medicaid enrollees (median, 6.6 [IQR, 2.6-13.9] vs 24.1 [IQR, 8.7-27.5] prescriptions) and lower Medicaid managed care penetration (median, 38.5% [IQR, 0.0%-74.1%] vs 79.5% [IQR, 78.1%-83.5%] of enrollees) but similar opioid overdose rates and X-waivered buprenorphine clinicians per 100 000 population. In fully adjusted difference-in-differences models, removal of Medicaid PAs for buprenorphine was not associated with buprenorphine prescribing (1.4% decrease; 95% CI, -31.2% to 41.4%). For states with below-median baseline buprenorphine prescribing, PA removal was associated with increased buprenorphine prescriptions per 1000 Medicaid enrollees (40.1%; 95% CI, 0.6% to 95.1%), while states with above-median prescribing showed no change (-20.7%; 95% CI, -41.0% to 6.6%).Conclusions and relevanceIn this serial cross-sectional study of Medicaid PA policies for buprenorphine for OUD, removal of PAs was not associated with overall changes in buprenorphine prescribing among Medicaid enrollees. Given the ongoing burden of opioid overdoses, continued multipronged efforts are needed to remove barriers to buprenorphine care and increase availability of this lifesaving treatment.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:Although buprenorphine treatment reduces risk of overdose and death in opioid use disorder, most patients discontinue treatment within a few weeks or months. Adverse health outcomes following buprenorphine discontinuation were compared among patients who were successfully retained beyond 6 months of continuous treatment, a minimum treatment duration recently endorsed by the National Quality Forum. METHODS:A retrospective longitudinal cohort analysis was performed using the MarketScan multistate Medicaid claims database (2013-2017), covering 12 million beneficiaries annually. The sample included adults (18-64 years of age) who received buprenorphine continuously for ?180 days by cohorts retained for 6-9 months, 9-12 months, 12-15 months, and 15-18 months. For outcome assessment in the postdiscontinuation period, patients had to be continuously enrolled in Medicaid for 6 months after buprenorphine discontinuation. Primary adverse outcomes included all-cause emergency department visits, all-cause inpatient hospitalizations, opioid prescriptions, and drug overdose (opioid or non-opioid). RESULTS:Adverse events were common across all cohorts, and almost half of patients (42.1%-49.9%) were seen in the emergency department at least once. Compared with patients retained on buprenorphine for 6-9 months (N=4,126), those retained for 15-18 months (N=931) had significantly lower odds of emergency department visits (odds ratio=0.75, 95% CI=0.65-0.86), inpatient hospitalizations (odds ratio=0.79, 95% CI=0.64-0.99), and filling opioid prescriptions (odds ratio=0.67, 95% CI=0.56-0.80) in the 6 months following discontinuation. Approximately 5% of patients across all cohorts experienced one or more medically treated overdoses. CONCLUSIONS:Risk of acute care service use and overdose were high following buprenorphine discontinuation irrespective of treatment duration. Superior outcomes became significant with treatment duration beyond 15 months, although rates of the primary adverse outcomes remained high.

Dataset Information

Effect of a high dosage opioid prior authorization policy on prescription opioid use, misuse, and overdose outcomes.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Effect of a high dosage opioid prior authorization policy on prescription opioid use, misuse, and overdose outcomes.

Similar Datasets

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