January 20, 2023
Opioid/Substance Use Disorders
  • New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that doctors sent patients home with opioids after emergency department (ED) visits about 8 percent of the time in 2019–2020. The latest figures continue a downward trend from about 12 percent in 2017–2018 and approximately 21.5 percent in 2010-2011. The data also show that rates of opioid prescribing at discharge still vary depending on factors like a patient’s source of insurance or their race: about 9 percent of ED visits by Hispanic adults result in an opioid prescription at discharge, compared to 8.3 percent of non-Hispanic white adults and 7.2 percent of non-Hispanic Black adults. (Press release here)