Paper ID

1987

Paper Type

full

Description

The United States is experiencing an opioid overdose epidemic. E-prescribing has gained significant attention as a breakthrough way to reduce opioid overdoses, because it enhances control over the prescribing of drugs by providing patients’ hospital visit and medication record to prescribers at the point of care. However, there is little empirical evidence on how e-prescribing affects opioid overdoses. In this paper, we begin to bridge this gap by reporting on an empirical investigation of the effect of e-prescribing on opioid overdoses in the United States during 2009–2013 using a panel data set. We find that e-prescribing decreases opioid overdoses, on average, as well as overall drug overdoses. Interestingly, these effects are strongly moderated by two social factors: health insurance coverage and narcotic drug accessibility. Overall, our results shed light on one of the many health care benefits gained from increased adoption of information technology in the health care sector.

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How Information Technology Can Help in the Fight Against an Opioid Epidemic: An Empirical Analysis of the Effect of E-Prescribing on Opioid Overdoses

The United States is experiencing an opioid overdose epidemic. E-prescribing has gained significant attention as a breakthrough way to reduce opioid overdoses, because it enhances control over the prescribing of drugs by providing patients’ hospital visit and medication record to prescribers at the point of care. However, there is little empirical evidence on how e-prescribing affects opioid overdoses. In this paper, we begin to bridge this gap by reporting on an empirical investigation of the effect of e-prescribing on opioid overdoses in the United States during 2009–2013 using a panel data set. We find that e-prescribing decreases opioid overdoses, on average, as well as overall drug overdoses. Interestingly, these effects are strongly moderated by two social factors: health insurance coverage and narcotic drug accessibility. Overall, our results shed light on one of the many health care benefits gained from increased adoption of information technology in the health care sector.