Impact of Hospital "Best Practice" Mandates on Prescription Opioid Dispensing After an Emergency Department Visit.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Washington State mandated seven hospital "best practices" in July 2012, several of which may affect emergency department (ED) opioid prescribing and provide a policy template for addressing the opioid prescription epidemic. We tested the hypothesis that the mandates would reduce opioid dispensing after an ED visit. We further assessed for a selective effect in patients with prior risky or chronic opioid use.

Methods

We performed a retrospective, observational analysis of ED visits by Medicaid fee-for-service beneficiaries in Washington State, between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2013. We used an interrupted time-series design to control for temporal trends and patient characteristics. The primary outcome was any opioid dispensing within 3 days after an ED visit. The

SUBMITTER: Sun BC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5552416 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature