Researchers from University of Washington Detail Findings in Medicare and Medicaid (Patterns of Opioid Use and Risk of Opioid Overdose Death Among…

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Researchers from University of Washington Detail Findings in Medicare and Medicaid (Patterns of Opioid Use and Risk of Opioid Overdose Death Among Medicaid Patients)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Data detailed on Medicare and Medicaid have been presented. According to news reporting originating in Seattle, Washington, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes Medicaid as a high-risk population for fatal opioid overdose. Further research is needed to identify factors that put Medicaid patients at increased risk."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Washington, "To determine whether patterns of opioid use are associated with risk of opioid-related mortality among opioid users. This is a retrospective cohort study. In total, 150,821 noncancer pain patients aged 18-64 years with >= 1 opioid prescription, April 2006 to December 2010, Washington Medicaid. Average daily dose (morphine equivalents), opioid schedule/duration of action, sedative-hypnotic use. Compared with patients at 1-19 mg/d, risk of opioid overdose death significantly increased at 50-89 mg/d [ adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 2.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.4-4.1], 90-119 mg/d (aHR, 4.0; 95% CI, 2.2-7.3), 120-199 mg/d (aHR, 3.8; 95% CI, 2.1-6.9), and >= 200 mg/d (aHR, 4.9; 95% CI, 2.9-8.1). Patients using long-acting plus short-acting Schedule II opioids had 4.7 times the risk of opioid overdose death than non-Schedule II opioids alone (aHR, 4.7; 95% CI, 3.3-6.9). Sedative-hypnotic use compared with nonuse was associated with 6.4 times the risk of opioid overdose death (aHR, 6.4; 95% CI, 5.0-8.4). Risk was particularly high for opioids combined with benzodiazepines and skeletal muscle relaxants (aHR, 12.6; 95% CI, 8.9-17.9). Even at opioid doses 1-19 mg/d, patients using sedative-hypnotics concurrently had 5.6 times the risk than patients without sedative-hypnotics (aHR, 5.6; 95% CI, 1.6-19.3). Our findings support Federal guideline-recommended dosing thresholds in opioid prescribing."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Concurrent sedative-hypnotic use even at low opioid doses poses substantially greater risk of opioid overdose."

For more information on this research see: Patterns of Opioid Use and Risk of Opioid Overdose Death Among Medicaid Patients. Medical Care, 2017;55(7):661-668. Medical Care can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. (Lippincott Williams and Wilkins - www.lww.com; Medical Care - journals.lww.com/lww-medicalcare/pages/default.aspx)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting R.K. Garg, University of Washington, Dept. of Epidemiol, Seattle, WA 98109, United States. Additional authors for this research include D. Fulton-Kehoe and G.M. Franklin.

Keywords for this news article include: Seattle, Washington, United States, North and Central America, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Policy, Medicaid, University of Washington.