profession

4.3 million opioid prescriptions go to “doctor shoppers”

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 29, 2013

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Just one in every 143 opioid prescriptions goes to a patient whose pharmacy records suggest activity often characterized as “doctor shopping,” but these patients obtain a highly disproportionate share of opioids, according to a study published July 17 in the journal PLoS ONE.

Researchers said patients who received unusually large quantities of opioids from multiple physicians — an average of 32 prescriptions from 10 doctors — accounted for 4.3 million of the opioid prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. in 2008. By weight, that was equivalent to about 4% of all opioids, even though these patients were just 0.7% of the people who purchased 146 million opioids dispensed at retail pharmacies, said the study (link).

What is unclear is the extent to which doctor-shopping patients contribute to opioid-related overdoses and deaths. About 17,000 patients each year die of drug overdoses in which opioids are implicated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Forty-six states have some form of prescription-drug monitoring program in place, though they vary widely in how easy they are for physicians to use and how often the records are updated. Timelier prescription information is key to enabling physicians to better detect patients intent on misusing or diverting narcotic painkillers, said Douglas C. McDonald, PhD, lead author of the PLoS ONE study.

“Physicians and other health care providers are the front lines of defense against deceptive patients who use these drugs for nonmedical purposes, but many of them lack the time and the tools to determine if a patient is abusing opioids,” McDonald said.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn