Opioid Use in Medicare Part D in States in the Appalachian Region

Overdose deaths are at epidemic levels and the opioid crisis is now considered a public health emergency. In 2016, there were more than 42,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States—115 deaths per day. Nearly 7,000 of these deaths occurred in five States in the Appalachian region—Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Identifying beneficiaries who are at risk of overdose or abuse is key to addressing this national crisis. This data brief will provide data on prescription opioid use in Medicare Part D in these five States in 2017, including the proportion of Medicare beneficiaries who received a prescription opioid and the number of beneficiaries who are at serious risk of opioid misuse or overdose.

Announced or Revised	Agency	Title	Component	Report Number(s)	Expected Issue Date (FY)
Completed	Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	Opioid Use in Medicare Part D in States in the Appalachian Region	Office of Evaluation and Inspections	OEI-02-18-00224	2019