Author Interviews, Opiods / 03.06.2016
Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Modestly Reduced Opioid Prescriptions By Top Prescribers
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Hsien-Yen Chang PhD
Assistant Scientist
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Department of Health Policy & Management
Center for Drug Safety & Effectiveness
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Dr. Chang: Prescription opioid addiction and non-medical use are significant public health problems, responsible for about 44 daily overdose deaths in the United States. Although there are no magic bullets to address these issues, policy makers play an important role in shaping regulatory, payment and public health policies to reduce opioid-related injuries and deaths. For example, state policy-makers in the United States have used prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and “pill mill” laws to address the prescription opioid epidemic. While there is growing evidence regarding the effect of these approaches on opioid sales, little is known about how they affect specific groups of prescribers. This is important, as approximately 20% of U.S. physicians are responsible for prescribing 80% of all opioid analgesics. Therefore, in this study we evaluated the impact of PDMPs and pill mill laws on the clinical practices of high-risk prescribers in Florida, such as their total number of prescription-filling patients with an opioid prescription. Furthermore, we also characterized the concentration of opioid volume and prescriptions among this group of prescribers as well as how the policies of interest impacted these measures.
(more…)