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  • Oculoplastic surgeons are prescribing fewer longer-acting opioids

    Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Oculoplastics/Orbit

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    Review of: Long-acting opioid prescribing patterns of ophthalmic plastic surgeons in the Medicare Part D database

    Dryden S, Rho J, Nix G, et al. Orbit, in press

    In this retrospective cohort study, investigators examined prescribing patterns for extended-release/long-acting (ER/LA) opioids among oculoplastic surgeons listed in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Part D database.

    Study design

    Data from CMS public information files on ER/LA opioid prescribing patterns of oculoplastic surgeons for the 2013–2017 time period were reviewed, stratified by membership in the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS), duration of practice, and gender.

    Outcomes

    From 2013 to 2017, included oculoplastic surgeons operating in the United States wrote 1177 ER/LA opioid prescriptions. Over time, ER/LA opioid prescriptions decreased by 52% to 58%, and fewer physicians wrote prescriptions for these medications. While experience and gender did not impact prescribing practices, non-ASOPRS oculoplastic surgeons wrote 24% more ER/LA opioid prescriptions than ASOPRS surgeons.

    Limitations

    The study is limited by factors inherent to the dataset. Specifically, the study captures only Medicare-related prescriptions, and thus cannot be generalized to all practices or to all age groups of patients. Furthermore, the doses were not recorded.

    Clinical significance

    Clinicians are prescribing fewer ER/LA opioids than before, perhaps due to greater awareness of the potential for abuse. The approach to pain among patients who are seen by oculoplastic surgeons is undergoing evolution, and clinicians appear to be adapting their practice patterns.