Time and State Opioid Legislation Have Reduced Opioid Filling in Elective Shoulder Surgery.

Abstract

Opioid-limiting legislation has been enacted in response to the opioid epidemic in the United States. However, the impact of this legislation on perioperative opioid prescribing in elective shoulder surgery is not well understood. This is an observational review of 90-day perioperative opioid-prescription filling by patients undergoing shoulder surgery using a national insurance database (n = 231,634 patients) between 2010 and 2019. Statistics evaluated the impact of the year and opioid-limiting legislation on first prescription and cumulative 90-day opioid filling. Initial and cumulative opioid-prescription volume decreased significantly from 2010 to 2019 (49 to 44.4 initial oxycodone 5-mg equivalents, 132.8 to 72.3 cumulative oxycodone 5-mg equivalents; all p < 0.001). States with opioid-limiting legislation had larger reductions in initial and cumulative opioid-prescription filling over similar time frames (p < 0.001). Perioperative opioid prescribing has decreased significantly in shoulder surgery with time and state legislation. Individual prescribers and state and national legislators should continue to seek ways to reduce opioid overprescribing. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 33(3):152-157, 2024).