Table 3.
Adjusted healthcare expenditures and resource utilizations among adults (> = 18 years) with different unique opioid fills from the MEPS, 2008 to 2017
| Outcome | 1 unique opioid fill (weighted n = 15,943,576) | 2 unique opioid fills (weighted n = 4,669,310) | 3 or more unique opioid fills (weighted n = 11,083,785) | P-value* | P-value** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditures | |||||
| Total expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $11,633 (7349) | $18,131 (11,001) | $23,471 (13,786) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Prescription expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $1425 (1280) | $2468 (2006) | $6355 (4623) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Outpatient expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $1576 (933) | $2212 (1197) | $1949 (1139) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Emergency department expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $641 (203) | $842 (268) | $731 (302) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Inpatient expenditures ($), mean (SD) | $4073 (2436) | $6573 (3829) | $7364 (4481) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Resources | |||||
| Number of prescriptions filled, mean (SD) | 15.7 (10.5) | 22.9 (14.6) | 52.0 (29.3) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Number of office-based visits, mean (SD) | 9.6 (4.2) | 12.9 (5.2) | 16.3 (5.8) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Number of emergency department visits, mean (SD) | 0.49 (0.23) | 0.67 (0.29) | 0.69 (0.33) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
| Number of inpatient night stays, mean (SD) | 1.0 (0.8) | 1.6 (1.2) | 2.4 (1.8) | < 0.001 | < 0.001 |
*Comparison between 2 unique narcotic fills and 1 unique narcotic fill
**Comparison between 3 unique narcotic fills and 1 unique narcotic fill