America's Health Insurance Plans released the first nationwide benchmark data measuring the healthcare industry's progress in combating the opioid crisis. AHIP published the analysis as part of its Safe, Transparent Opioid Prescribing Initiative.
Here are four things to know:
1. Approximately 25 percent of opioid prescriptions are above CDC dosage guidelines.
2. Only 1 percent of patients underwent a urine drug test before they were prescribed an opioid.
3. The vast majority – 97 percent – of initial opioid prescriptions for chronic pain was for immediate-release opioids, in line with CDC guidelines.
4. During their opioid treatment, over 40 percent of chronic pain patients also received benzodiazepine prescriptions, which according to CDC guidelines can be unsafe for patients and should be avoided as much as possible.
