The Authors’ Own Words:
We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.
Daniel M. Hartung PharmD, MPH; Hyunjee Kim PhD; Sharia M. Ahmed MPH; Luke Middleton BS; Shellie Keast PhD, PharmD, MS; Richard A. Deyo MD, MPH; Kun Zhang PhD; & K. John McConnell PhD
Substance Abuse Vol. 39, Iss. 2, 2018
“This paper evaluates the impact of Medicaid prior authorization policy for high dose opioid prescriptions. Results show the policy was associated with a substantial reduction in opioid prescriptions above a daily dose of 120 morphine milligram equivalents, increases in lower dose opioid prescriptions and drugs for neuropathic pain, but had no significant impact on opioid-related ED visits or hospitalizations. As insurers and healthcare payers align reimbursement strategies and benefit designs to influence opioid prescribing, it is important to characterize both intended an unintended effects of these policy changes.”
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