News Report | September 17, 2017
Nearly One-Third Of Pennsylvania Medicaid Beneficiaries Continue High Prescription Opioid Use After Non-Fatal Overdose
Nearly one-third of Pennsylvania Medicaid beneficiaries treated for non-fatal overdose of prescription opioids continued to fill 90-day prescriptions for opioid pain relievers. Among beneficiaries treated for a non-fatal overdose of opioid pain relievers, before the overdose 32.5% filled a 90-day prescription; after the overdose, 28.3% filled a 90-day prescription. During the same period, the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder among these beneficiaries increased from 13.5% to 15.1%.
Among Pennsylvania Medicaid beneficiaries who overdosed on heroin, the share filling opioid prescriptions for 90 days or more . . .