Hsien-Yen Chang1,2, Irene Murimi2,3, Mark Faul4, Lainie Rutkow1, G Caleb Alexander2,3,5. 1. Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. 2. Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. 3. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. 4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, GA, USA. 5. Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: We quantified the effects of Florida's prescription drug monitoring program and pill mill law on high-risk patients. METHODS: We used QuintilesIMS LRx Lifelink data to identify patients receiving prescription opioids in Florida (intervention state, N: 1.13 million) and Georgia (control state, N: 0.54 million). The preintervention, intervention, and postintervention periods were July 2010 to June 2011, July 2011 to September 2011, and October 2011 to September 2012. We identified 3 types of high-risk patients: (1) concomitant users: patients with concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids; (2) chronic users: long-term, high-dose, opioid users; and (3) opioid shoppers: patients receiving opioids from multiple sources. We compared changes in opioid prescriptions between Florida and Georgia before and after policy implementation among high-risk/low-risk patients. Our monthly measures included (1) average morphine milligram equivalent per transaction, (2) total opioid volume across all prescriptions, (3) average days supplied per transaction, and (4) total number of opioid prescriptions dispensed. RESULTS: Among opioid-receiving individuals in Florida, 6.62% were concomitant users, 1.96% were chronic users, and 0.46% were opioid shoppers. Following policy implementation, Florida's high-risk patients experienced relative reductions in morphine milligram equivalent (opioid shoppers: -1.08 mg/month, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.62 to -0.54), total opioid volume (chronic users: -4.58 kg/month, CI -5.41 to -3.76), and number of dispensed opioid prescriptions (concomitant users: -640 prescriptions/month, CI -950 to -340). Low-risk patients generally did not experience statistically significantly relative reductions. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with Georgia, Florida's prescription drug monitoring program and pill mill law were associated with large relative reductions in prescription opioid utilization among high-risk patients.
PURPOSE: We quantified the effects of Florida's prescription drug monitoring program and pill mill law on high-risk patients. METHODS: We used QuintilesIMS LRx Lifelink data to identify patients receiving prescription opioids in Florida (intervention state, N: 1.13 million) and Georgia (control state, N: 0.54 million). The preintervention, intervention, and postintervention periods were July 2010 to June 2011, July 2011 to September 2011, and October 2011 to September 2012. We identified 3 types of high-risk patients: (1) concomitant users: patients with concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids; (2) chronic users: long-term, high-dose, opioid users; and (3) opioid shoppers: patients receiving opioids from multiple sources. We compared changes in opioid prescriptions between Florida and Georgia before and after policy implementation among high-risk/low-risk patients. Our monthly measures included (1) average morphine milligram equivalent per transaction, (2) total opioid volume across all prescriptions, (3) average days supplied per transaction, and (4) total number of opioid prescriptions dispensed. RESULTS: Among opioid-receiving individuals in Florida, 6.62% were concomitant users, 1.96% were chronic users, and 0.46% were opioid shoppers. Following policy implementation, Florida's high-risk patients experienced relative reductions in morphine milligram equivalent (opioid shoppers: -1.08 mg/month, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.62 to -0.54), total opioid volume (chronic users: -4.58 kg/month, CI -5.41 to -3.76), and number of dispensed opioid prescriptions (concomitant users: -640 prescriptions/month, CI -950 to -340). Low-risk patients generally did not experience statistically significantly relative reductions. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with Georgia, Florida's prescription drug monitoring program and pill mill law were associated with large relative reductions in prescription opioid utilization among high-risk patients.
Keywords:
chronic opioid users; concomitant users of benzodiazepines and opioids; long-term opioid therapy; opioid shoppers; pharmacoepidemiology; pill mill law; prescription drug abuse; prescription drug monitoring program; time series analysis
Authors: Victor Puac-Polanco; Stanford Chihuri; David S Fink; Magdalena Cerdá; Katherine M Keyes; Guohua Li Journal: Epidemiol Rev Date: 2020-01-31 Impact factor: 6.222
Authors: Hsien-Yen Chang; Noa Krawczyk; Kristin E Schneider; Lindsey Ferris; Matthew Eisenberg; Tom M Richards; B Casey Lyons; Kate Jackson; Jonathan P Weiner; Brendan Saloner Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2019-06-07 Impact factor: 4.492
Authors: Bradley D Stein; Flora Sheng; Erin A Taylor; Andrew W Dick; Mark Sorbero; Rosalie Liccardo Pacula Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2021-12-28 Impact factor: 4.492
Authors: Aníbal García-Sempere; Isabel Hurtado; Salvador Peiró; Francisco Sánchez-Sáez; Clara Liliana Rodríguez-Bernal; Magda Puig-Ferrer; Manuel Escolano; Gabriel Sanfélix-Gimeno Journal: Front Pharmacol Date: 2022-04-05 Impact factor: 5.988
Authors: Megan S Schuler; Sara E Heins; Rosanna Smart; Beth Ann Griffin; David Powell; Elizabeth A Stuart; Bryce Pardo; Sierra Smucker; Stephen W Patrick; Rosalie Liccardo Pacula; Bradley D Stein Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend Date: 2020-06-27 Impact factor: 4.492