Impact of a State Opioid Prescribing Limit and Electronic Medical Record Alert on Opioid Prescriptions: a Difference-in-Differences Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Prescribing limits are one policy strategy to reduce short-term opioid prescribing, but there is limited evidence of their impact.

Objective

Evaluate implementation of a state prescribing limit law and health system electronic medical record (EMR) alert on characteristics of new opioid prescriptions, refill rates, and clinical encounters.

Design

Difference-in-differences study comparing new opioid prescriptions from ambulatory practices in New Jersey (NJ) to controls in Pennsylvania (PA) from 1 year prior to the implementation of a NJ state prescribing limit (May 2016-May 2017) to 10 months after (May 2017-March 2018).

Participants

Adults with new opioid prescriptions in an academic health system with practices in PA and NJ.

Interventions

Stat

SUBMITTER: Lowenstein M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7080923 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature