A new report found that nearly 5,000 beneficiaries of Ohio's Medicaid program received an excessive amount of unnecessary opioids.
The watchdog for Health and Human Services found that from June 2016 to May 2017 nearly one in six Ohio Medicaid beneficiaries got at least one opioid through Medicaid.
"Medicaid beneficiaries may be especially vulnerable to opioid misuse because they are more likely than non-beneficiaries to have chronic conditions and comorbidities that require pain relief," the report said.
The Office of the Inspector General said that from June 2016 to May 2017, 16 percent of the nearly 3.5 million beneficiaries enrolled in Ohio's Medicaid program received opioids.
The watchdog also found that 481 beneficiaries got extreme amounts of opioids over that period.
The watchdog noted that Ohio has taken measures to address the opioid epidemic, including new opioid prescribing guidelines and requirements for prescribers, and pharmacists to check an online database called a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
The report comes as Republicans have charged that the Medicaid expansion has contributed to the opioid epidemic.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/watchdog-finds-extreme-use-of-opioids-in-ohio-medicaid-beneficiaries
The watchdog for Health and Human Services found that from June 2016 to May 2017 nearly one in six Ohio Medicaid beneficiaries got at least one opioid through Medicaid.
"Medicaid beneficiaries may be especially vulnerable to opioid misuse because they are more likely than non-beneficiaries to have chronic conditions and comorbidities that require pain relief," the report said.
The Office of the Inspector General said that from June 2016 to May 2017, 16 percent of the nearly 3.5 million beneficiaries enrolled in Ohio's Medicaid program received opioids.
The watchdog also found that 481 beneficiaries got extreme amounts of opioids over that period.
The watchdog noted that Ohio has taken measures to address the opioid epidemic, including new opioid prescribing guidelines and requirements for prescribers, and pharmacists to check an online database called a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
The report comes as Republicans have charged that the Medicaid expansion has contributed to the opioid epidemic.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/watchdog-finds-extreme-use-of-opioids-in-ohio-medicaid-beneficiaries
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