Nearly 25 percent of Medicaid members filled a prescription for opioid painkillers in 2015, and nearly one-third of these patients took opioids for more than 30 days, according to a report from pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts.
For the study, Express Scripts researchers analyzed the opioid use of 3.1 million Medicaid members across four states.
Here are five key takeaways from the report.
1. Approximately 6 percent of Medicaid prescriptions and 4.1 percent of costs were attributable to opioids in 2015.
2. Among Medicaid enrollees, women displayed a 68 percent higher prevalence of opioid use than men.
3. On average, opioid-using enrollees tended to be 41 years of age and filled four prescriptions annually.
4. Medicaid enrollees between the ages of 45 and 64 years used opioids the most, filling more than five prescriptions annually
5. "Express Scripts encourages Medicaid health plans to implement programs that detect members with high or aberrant utilization," wrote the report's authors. "Members receiving opioids for acute pain should receive the shortest supply necessary and should be counseled on the risks of continued opioid use. Prescriber education may help to standardize pain management approaches, helping them to more safely treat acute pain."
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