Table 2.
Crude Measures of Prescription Opioid Receipt.*
| Variable | All Patients | Black Patients | White Patients | Black-White Difference† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample served by 310 diverse-population health systems | ||||
| Prescription opioid receipt (%) | ||||
| Any receipt | 51.7 | 50.2 | 52.2 | −2.0 |
| Short-term receipt | 26.5 | 28.4 | 25.9 | 2.5 |
| Long-term receipt | 25.2 | 21.8 | 26.4 | −4.6 |
| Annual MME | ||||
| Overall, including nonrecipients | 7,332±22,193 | 5,190±17,697 | 8,082±23,519 | −2892 |
| Among short-term recipients | 1,670±5,359 | 1,241±3,821 | 1,835±5,835 | −594 |
| Among long-term recipients | 27,368±37,256 | 22,211±32,359 | 28,860±38,428 | −6649 |
| National sample | ||||
| Prescription opioid receipt (%) | ||||
| Any receipt | 51.8 | 51.2 | 52.0 | −0.8 |
| Short-term receipt | 25.5 | 27.5 | 25.0 | 2.5 |
| Long-term receipt | 26.3 | 23.7 | 27.0 | −3.2 |
| Annual MME | ||||
| Overall, including nonrecipients | 7,838±23,025 | 5,634±18,120 | 8,435±24,149 | −2801 |
| Among short-term recipients | 1,779±5,709 | 1,320±3,960 | 1,915±6,127 | −595 |
| Among long-term recipients | 28,118±37,782 | 22,235±31,690 | 29,521±38,963 | −7286 |
Plus–minus values are means ±SD. The measures from the national sample are presented to permit a comparison and test of representativeness. The unit of analysis is the person-year. Any receipt of a prescription opioid was defined as at least one filled prescription, short-term receipt as at least one filled prescription in one to three quarters in a calendar year, and long-term receipt as at least one filled prescription in all four quarters of a calendar year. Values for the same outcomes that were measured at the level of the person (rather than person-year) among Black and White patients, respectively, were as follows: in the national sample, any opioid receipt (51.1% vs. 52.1%), short-term receipt (28.1% vs. 25.5%), long-term receipt (23.0% vs. 26.5%), morphine milligram equivalents (MME) for all patients (5428 MME vs. 8258 MME), MME for patients with short-term receipt (1375 MME vs. 2013 MME), and MME for patients with long-term receipt (20,871 MME vs. 27,991 MME); and in the sample attributed to the 310 systems studied, any opioid receipt (50.3% vs. 52.4%), short-term receipt (28.9% vs. 26.4%), long-term receipt (21.4% vs. 26.1%), MME for all patients (5081 MME vs. 8024 MME), MME for patients with short-term receipt (1286 MME vs. 1907 MME), and MME for patients with long-term receipt (21,152 MME vs. 27,978 MME).
Differences in percentages are shown in percentage points.