i
Buprenorphine prescription dispensing rates and characteristics following federal changes in prescribing policy, 2017–2018: A cross-sectional study
-
8 01 2020
Source: Drug Alcohol Depend. 213:108083 -
Alternative Title:Drug Alcohol Depend
-
Personal Author:
-
Description:Background:
Expansion of buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment is a core component of the opioid overdose epidemic response. The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016 authorized nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to obtain a DATA-waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. The objectives of this study are to examine national- and county-level buprenorphine prescription dispensing, patterns by patient demographics and clinician specialty, and county-level characteristics associated with buprenorphine dispensing.
Methods:
Retrospective analysis of buprenorphine prescriptions dispensed from approximately 92% of all retail prescriptions in the US (2017–2018). Analyses include rates of buprenorphine prescriptions dispensed, by patient demographics and prescriber specialty, changes in buprenorphine prescriptions dispensed at the national- and county-level, and county-level characteristics associated with buprenorphine dispensing.
Results:
Buprenorphine prescriptions dispensed increased by 9.1% nationally, from 40.7–44.4 per 1000 residents. From 2017 to 2018, NPs (351.9%) and PAs (257.3%) had the largest percent increases in dispensed buprenorphine prescriptions, accounting for 79.6% of the total increase. In 2018, county-level characteristics associated with high buprenorphine dispensing included. among others: greater potential buprenorphine treatment capacity, higher drug overdose death rates, and higher rates of Medicaid enrollment. Rural counties were associated with low buprenorphine dispensing.
Conclusion:
Buprenorphine dispensing rates increased in the US from 2017 to 2018, suggesting the addition of NPs and PAs by CARA has contributed to an increase in dispensed buprenorphine prescriptions.
-
Subjects:
-
Source:
-
Pubmed ID:32505044
-
Pubmed Central ID:PMC9590643
-
Document Type:
-
Collection(s):
-
Main Document Checksum:
-
File Type:
Details:
Supporting Files
More +