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. 2023 May;45(5):1113-1121.
doi: 10.1002/hed.27312. Epub 2023 Mar 1.

Opioid prescription trends among American Head and Neck Society fellowship graduates

Rushi Patel  1 , Julia Nguyen  1 , Hannaan S Choudhry  1 , Mehdi S Lemdani  1 , Richard Chan Woo Park  1
Affiliations

Opioid prescription trends among American Head and Neck Society fellowship graduates

Rushi Patel et al. Head Neck. 2023 May.

Abstract

Background: Opioids are commonly used to manage the pain of head and neck (HN) cancer patients.

Methods: Retrospective cohort of graduates from American Head and Neck Society accredited fellowships from 1997 to 2018. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Part D Provider Utilization and Payment database 2014-2019 was cross-referenced with provider names to identify opioid prescription trends.

Results: From 2014 to 2019, there was no significant difference in the average number of opioid beneficiaries per provider (18.02 vs. 18.10, p = 0.586) or opioid claims per provider (28.06 vs. 26.73, p = 0.708). The average total opioid day supply per beneficiary declined from 11.09 to 7.05 days from 2014 to 2019 (p < 0.001). In 2019, providers in the Northeast had the lowest prescribed opioid day supply (3.67 days) compared to those from the South who had the highest (10.32 days).

Conclusions: Opioid prescription length has significantly declined among HN surgeons, with variations across geographic regions.

Keywords: day supply; drug cost; head and neck surgeons; opioids; prescription trend.

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References

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