TABLE 1.
Characteristics of Patients with at Least 1 Opioid Prescription Fill at a Rhode Island Retail Pharmacy in 2015 (N = 197,062)
| Characteristica | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Genderb | |
| Female | 110,001 (55.82) |
| Male | 87,043 (44.17) |
| Age group, years | |
| < 18 | 5,995 (3.04) |
| 18-24 | 15,327 (7.78) |
| 25-34 | 27,302 (13.85) |
| 35-44 | 27,738 (14.08) |
| 45-54 | 37,155 (18.85) |
| 55-64 | 38,372 (19.47) |
| ≥65 | 45,173 (22.92) |
| Payment method | |
| Commercial insurance | 114,654 (58.18) |
| Medicare | 43,213 (21.93) |
| Cash | 19,476 (9.88) |
| Medicaid | 15,767 (8.00) |
| Otherc | 3,952 (2.01) |
| Most recent opioid dispensed | |
| Hydrocodone | 90,151 (45.75) |
| Oxycodone | 73,622 (37.36) |
| Codeine base | 18,409 (9.34) |
| Morphine | 6,894 (3.50) |
| Hydromorphone | 3,698 (1.88) |
| Fentanyl | 1,450 (0.74) |
| Methadone | 650 (0.33) |
| Tapentadol | 192 (0.10) |
| Oxymorphone | 146 (0.07) |
| Meperidine | 64 (0.03) |
| Pentazocine | 50 (0.03) |
| Butorphanol | 35 (0.02) |
| Levorphanol | 1 (0.00) |
| Othersd | 1,700 (0.86) |
| Mean daily MME per patiente | |
| ≤50 | 153,085 (77.68) |
| 50-90 | 32,081 (16.28) |
| 90+ | 8,536 (4.33) |
| Benzodiazepine use | |
| No | 144,899 (73.53) |
| Yes | 52,163 (26.47) |
| Stimulant use | |
| No | 188,343 (95.58) |
| Yes | 8,719 (4.42) |
| 5/5/12 criteriaf | |
| Not met | 196,653 (99.79) |
| Met | 409 (0.21) |
aGender, payment method, medication type, and mean daily MME classified according to data captured in the last opioid prescription dispensed in 2015.
bGender was not reported for 18 patients (0.01%).
cIncludes worker’s compensation, Indian Health Services, Veterans Health Administration, Tricare, and other federal sources.
dPrimarily opioid-containing cough products (see Appendix B, available in online article).
eUnable to determine MME for 3,360 (1.71%) patients.
f5/5/12/ criteria: opioid prescriptions from at least 5 different pharmacies and 5 different prescribers during the 12-month period.
MME = morphine milligram equivalent.