Opioid Use in Medicare Part D Remains Concerning

The opioid crisis was recently declared a public health emergency. In 2016, more than 42,000 opioid-related overdose deaths occurred in the United States-115 deaths per day. This data brief is part of a larger strategy by OIG to fight the opioid crisis and protect beneficiaries from prescription drug misuse and abuse. This data brief provides 2017 data on the extent to which Medicare Part D beneficiaries receive extreme amounts of opioids or appear to be doctor shopping and compares these data to OIG's previous analysis of 2016. It also identifies prescribers who have questionable opioid prescribing.