Reports Outline Opioids Study Results from University of Pennsylvania (The Impact of Opioid Prescribing Report Cards In Medicaid): Opioids

2022 SEP 02 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Opioids have been published. According to news reporting out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “Performance feedback has been used for decades to improve health care quality and safety, with varying degrees of success. One example is the use of customized report cards that target inappropriate prescribing of high-risk medications, including opioids.”

Financial support for this research came from Community Behavioral Health in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Pennsylvania, “Randomized controlled trials suggest that report cards are an effective tool to change opioid prescribing behavior, but their effectiveness in community settings is unclear. To evaluate the impact of opioid prescribing report cards, which were mailed to Medicaid providers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Using a quasi-experimental approach, we compared trends in opioid prescribing by Medicaid providers in Philadelphia, who received a report card in late 2017, with Medicaid providers in surrounding counties, who did not receive report cards. First, we used propensity score matching to balance observed differences in the treatment and comparison groups; matching variables included provider specialty, sex, and selected characteristics of providers’ Medicaid patient panels. We then estimated a difference-in-differences model to isolate the impact of report cards on opioid prescribing. The analytical sample included 1,598 providers in Philadelphia and 2,117 providers in surrounding counties, who prescribed opioids to 99,548 Medicaid patients during the study period. Although the number of Medicaid patients receiving opioids and the days supplied of opioids declined in both Philadelphia and surrounding counties during the study period, there was a larger reduction in Philadelphia Medicaid than in surrounding counties after the report cards were mailed. In the 6 months after the report cards were mailed (January 2018 to June 2018) compared with the 6 months before they were mailed (July 2017 to December 2017), we estimate that the reduction in opioid prescribing in Philadelphia Medicaid amounted to nearly 3 fewer Medicaid patients with an opioid prescription per month. After customized opioid prescribing report cards were mailed to Medicaid providers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, there was a statistically significant reduction in opioid prescribing to Medicaid patients relative to surrounding counties. Our findings suggest that opioid prescribing report cards with peer comparison are an effective way to influence opioid prescribing behavior among Medicaid providers.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Report cards can complement other initiatives that target inappropriate opioid prescribing, such as prescription drug monitoring programs and prior authorization.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: The Impact of Opioid Prescribing Report Cards In Medicaid. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 2022;28(8):862-870. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy can be contacted at: Acad Managed Care Pharmacy, 100 N Pitt St, 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-3134, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Molly Candon, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States. Additional authors for this research include Siyuan Shen, Aileen Rothbard, Lingshu Xue, Evan S. Cole and Julie Donohue.

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