• Michael P Klueh, Hsou M Hu, Ryan A Howard, Joceline V Vu, Calista M Harbaugh, Pooja A Lagisetty, Chad M Brummett, Michael J Englesbe, Jennifer F Waljee, and Jay S Lee.
• Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
• J Gen Intern Med. 2018 Oct 1; 33 (10): 1685-1691.

BackgroundNew persistent opioid use is a common postoperative complication, with 6% of previously opioid-naïve patients continuing to fill opioid prescriptions 3-6 months after surgery. Despite these risks, it is unknown which specialties prescribe opioids to these vulnerable patients.ObjectiveTo identify specialties prescribing opioids to surgical patients who develop new persistent opioid use.Design, Setting, And ParticipantsUsing a national dataset of insurance claims, we identified opioid-naïve patients aged 18-64 years undergoing surgical procedures (2008-2014) who continued filling opioid prescriptions 3 to 6 months after surgery. We then examined opioid prescriptions claims during the 12 months after surgery, and identified prescribing physician specialty using National Provider Identifier codes.Main MeasuresPercentage of opioid prescriptions provided by each specialty evaluated at 90-day intervals during the 12 months after surgery.Key ResultsWe identified 5276 opioid-naïve patients who developed new persistent opioid use. During the first 3 months after surgery, surgeons accounted for 69% of opioid prescriptions, primary care physicians accounted for 13%, Emergency Medicine accounted for 2%, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R)/Pain Medicine accounted for 1%, and all other specialties accounted for 15%. In contrast, 9 to 12 months after surgery, surgeons accounted for only 11% of opioid prescriptions, primary care physicians accounted for 53%, Emergency Medicine accounted for 5%, PM&R/Pain Medicine accounted for 6%, and all other specialties provided 25%.ConclusionsAmong surgical patients who developed new persistent opioid use, surgeons provide the majority of opioid prescriptions during the first 3 months after surgery. By 9 to 12 months after surgery, however, the majority of opioid prescriptions were provided by primary care physicians. Enhanced care coordination between surgeons and primary care physicians could allow earlier identification of patients at risk for new persistent opioid use to prevent misuse and dependence.

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