Among Medicaid recipients taking prescription opioids, high opioid doses and concurrent treatment with benzodiazepine sedatives are among the key, potentially modifiable risk factors for fatal overdose, reports a study in the August issue of Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
“Prescribers and state agencies should be aware of these addressable patient-level factors among the Medicaid population,” according to the new research, led by Timothy T. Pham, PharmD, PhD, of University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, Oklahoma City. “Targeting these factors with appropriate policy interventions and education may prevent future deaths.”