TABLE 2—
Rates, Median Day Supply and Difference-in-Differences Regression Results for Opioid Analgesic Prescriptions and High-Dose Prescriptions Filled by New York City Residents by Prescriber Location: New York City (NYC), March 2013–February 2014
| Variables | Precampaign Period Mar–May 2013 | Postcampaign Period 1 Sept–Nov 2013 | Postcampaign Period 2 Dec 2013–Feb 2014 |
| Rate of prescriptions filled per 10 000 residentsa (no. prescriptions; % changeb) | |||
| Opioid analgesic prescriptions | |||
| Staten Island | 889 (45 509) | 813 (41 903; −8.5*) | 785 (40 635; −11.5*) |
| Other NYC | 550 (454 123) | 499 (413 380; −9.3*) | 487 (404 047; −11.5*) |
| High-dose opioid analgesic prescriptions (> 100 MME)c | |||
| Staten Island | 218 (11 025) | 201 (10 221; −7.8*) | 191 (9 757; −12.4*) |
| Other NYC | 110 (90 857) | 104 (85 995; −5.5*) | 102 (84 201; −7.3*) |
| Day supply, median (IQR) | |||
| Opioid analgesic prescriptions, median (IQR) | |||
| Staten Island | 30 (10, 30) | 30 (10, 30) | 30 (10, 30) |
| Other New York City | 20 (5, 30) | 23 (5, 30) | 23 (5, 30) |
| Difference-in-differences regression,d B (95% CI) | |||
| Opioid analgesic prescriptions, B (95% CI) | |||
| BBorough | −0.4722 (−0.4818, −0.4625) | −0.4722 (−0.4818, −0.4625) | |
| BPostcampaign | −0.0826 (−0.0958, −0.0693) | −0.1135 (−0.1269, −0.1001) | |
| BBorough*postcampaign | −0.0115 (−0.0254, 0.0024) | −0.0035 (−0.0175, 0.0106) | |
| High-dose opioid analgesic prescriptions,c B (95% CI) | |||
| BBorough | −0.6662 (−0.6859, −0.6464) | −0.6652 (−0.6850, −0.6454) | |
| BPostcampaign | −0.0757 (−0.1026, −0.0488) | −0.1224 (−0.1496, −0.0951) | |
| BBorough*postcampaign | 0.0207 (−0.0078, 0.0492) | 0.0462 (0.0174, 0.0751) | |
Note. CI = confidence interval; IQR = interquartile range; MME = morphine milligram equivalent. Analysis includes Schedule II (excluding codeine-2) opioid analgesic prescriptions. Prescriptions written by veterinarians, written under institutional licenses, missing prescriber ID, or missing patient ID are excluded. Data are limited to New York City prescribers who wrote at least 1 opioid analgesic prescription from March 2013 to February 2014. Analysis is limited to prescribers with license location in the 5 New York City boroughs (counties). Staten Island is reported separately and compared with the other 4 boroughs combined (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens). The total number of Staten Island prescribers and other New York City prescribers represented in this table are 2529 and 38 871, respectively.
Source. New York State Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, Prescription Monitoring Program, New York State, 2013–2014.
Rates are number of opioid analgesic prescriptions filled per 10 000 NYC residents. Age-adjusted rates are calculated using intercensal estimates updated December 2014, and are weighted to US Census Standard 2000.
Percent change between the precampaign period and postcampaign periods 1 and 2 were tested for Staten Island, and separately for the other NYC boroughs by using z-test comparisons.
A high-dose opioid analgesic prescription is greater than 100 MME. One MME is equivalent to 1 mg of morphine.
To compare rate changes over time between Staten Island and the other New York City boroughs, a difference-in-differences approach was taken; rate trends were tested using Poisson regression model with offset of person-time. Age was included in the model to control for confounding.
P < .05.