Opioid use in Medicare Part D continued to decline in 2019, but vigilance is needed as COVID-19 raises new concerns
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Data brief
- Contributor(s):
- United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Inspector General. Office of Evaluation and Inspections. issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, D.C. : U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, August 2020
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- COVID-19 -- economics Fraud -- prevention & control Government Regulation Medicare Part D -- organization & administration Opioid-Related Disorders -- economics United States United States. Department of Health and Human Services
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Why OIG Did This Review. The United States has been grappling with the opioid crisis for several years. In 2018, nearly 47,000 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in the United States. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has been tracking opioid use in Medicare Part D since 2016. In particular, OIG has identified beneficiaries at serious risk of opioid misuse or overdose and prescribers with questionable opioid prescribing for these beneficiaries. This data brief provides important information on opioid use in Medicare Part D in 2019, before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This information is critical to understanding trends in opioid use. This data brief will also provide comparison points for a forthcoming OIG data brief, which will examine changes in opioid use that occurred during the pandemic in 2020. What OIG Found. About 1 in 4 Medicare Part D beneficiaries received opioids in 2019, a decrease from the prior 3 years. Spending for opioids in Part D also decreased to $2.8 billion, the lowest amount in 10 years. At the same time, the number of beneficiaries receiving drugs for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder has steadily increased in recent years, reaching about 209,000 in 2019. Also, the number of beneficiaries receiving prescriptions through Part D for naloxone—a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose—has continued to grow. Yet concerns remain. Nearly 267,000 beneficiaries received high amounts of opioids in 2019, with almost 34,000 of them at serious risk of opioid misuse or overdose. About 140 prescribers ordered opioids for large numbers of these beneficiaries at serious risk. There is also concern that some beneficiaries may be experiencing challenges in accessing MAT drugs to treat opioid use disorder. Further, additional efforts to expand access to naloxone may be needed.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (20 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918282381106676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918282381106676