Factors associated with potentially problematic opioid prescriptions among individuals with private insurance and medicaid

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2019-06-06

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Ali, Mir M. et al.; Factors associated with potentially problematic opioid prescriptions among individuals with private insurance and medicaid; Addictive Behaviors, Volume 98, 6 June, 2019; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.06.005

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Public Domain Mark 1.0
This work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.

Subjects

Abstract

If opioid analgesics are prescribed and used inappropriately, they can lead to addiction and other adverse effects. In this study, we (1) examine factors associated with potentially problematic opioid prescriptions and (2) quantify the link between potentially problematic prescriptions and the development of opioid use disorder. We found that older age; female sex; having back pain, arthritis, or migraine; hydrocodone prescription; previous pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder; and frequent emergency department use were associated with problematic prescriptions among individuals with Medicaid and private insurance. Patients with commercial insurance and Medicaid who had potentially problematic opioid prescriptions were eight and three times more likely, respectively, to develop an opioid use disorder than patients without potentially problematic opioid prescriptions. Our findings help identify factors associated with problematic prescriptions and underscore the importance of targeted public health interventions.