Health Law and Policy Commons^™

A Multivariate Analysis Of Nationwide Changes In Opioid Prescriptions From 2012-2016, Drishti Pillai, Leighton Ku

GW Research Days 2016 - 2020

Background

Between 2012 and 2016, the opioid overdose mortality rate in the U.S. almost doubled from 7.4 to 13.3 per 100,000 population, leading to calls for a national opioid crisis. This crisis has generated interest in Medicaid’s dual role as a health insurance system that provides reimbursement for both prescription opioid analgesics like Oxycodone used to treat chronic pain, which could inadvertently fuel addiction, and prescription opioids used as treatment medication to help people survive and recover from drug abuse, such as Naloxone.

Methods

In this study, we conduct a multi-variate analysis of Medicaid prescription drug utilization data for the …

Depression: A Decade Of Progress, More To Do, Veronica V. Goff

National Health Policy Forum

This issue brief discusses the most recent findings on depression prevalence and cost; examines trends in outpatient treatment, including the dramatic growth in antidepressant use; discusses efforts to improve treatment in primary care; and explores possible public policy avenues for improving treatment access and quality.