CDC: State data shows opioid prescribing behavior needs to change

ATLANTA — A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shining light on steps that can be taken to prevent opioid abuse and misuse. Using 2013 data from state prescription drug monitoring programs from eight states, the CDC found that prescribing practices between states vary drastically. Additionally, demographic differences between states do not entirely explain the variation, and the CDC notes that the real way to fix the issue is to improve prescribing practices.

“A more comprehensive approach is needed to address the prescription opioid overdose epidemic, including guidance to providers on the risks and benefits of these medications,” Dr. Debra Houry, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said.

One of the largest contributors to opioid abuse is overprescribing done by a small number of prescribers whose prevalence is different between states. For example, in Del., the top 1% of prescribers wrote 25% of the state’s opioid prescriptions, compared with 1-in-8 prescriptions in Maine by the top 1%. Equally variant between the states was the prevalence of patients paying with cash, which the CDC notes is a sign of abuse — differing almost threefold between five states reporting that data.

“Every day, 44 people die in American communities from an overdose of prescription opioids and many more become addicted,” CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said. “States are on the frontline of witnessing these overdose deaths.  This research can help inform their prescription overdose prevention efforts and save lives.”