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Paper Number
2030
Paper Type
short
Description
The opioid epidemic is a widespread societal problem. Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances (EPCS) was introduced to reduce opioid overdose by enabling prescribers to detect doctor shoppers through patients’ comprehensive prescription history. However, there is potential that limited access to opioids after EPCS mandates may cause drug users to travel to other locations without EPCS. Using a US county-level dataset from 2010 to 2020 with a difference-in-difference model, we find that EPCS mandate in a neighboring county is associated with increased opioid-related mortality and opioid dispensing rate in the focal county without EPCS. We offer relevant policy implications, demonstrating that insurance coverage moderates the effect of EPCS mandates, underscoring the importance of aligning health insurance initiatives with electronic prescribing policies. By identifying the negative spillover effect of EPCS, our work enriches discussions on the societal impacts of information sharing, prompting further research exploration.
Recommended Citation
Liu, Xiaoyu and Kyung, Nakyung, "The Negative Spillover Effect of Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) on Opioid Epidemic" (2023). ICIS 2023 Proceedings. 10.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2023/soc_impactIS/soc_impactIS/10
The Negative Spillover Effect of Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances (EPCS) on Opioid Epidemic
The opioid epidemic is a widespread societal problem. Electronic Prescription of Controlled Substances (EPCS) was introduced to reduce opioid overdose by enabling prescribers to detect doctor shoppers through patients’ comprehensive prescription history. However, there is potential that limited access to opioids after EPCS mandates may cause drug users to travel to other locations without EPCS. Using a US county-level dataset from 2010 to 2020 with a difference-in-difference model, we find that EPCS mandate in a neighboring county is associated with increased opioid-related mortality and opioid dispensing rate in the focal county without EPCS. We offer relevant policy implications, demonstrating that insurance coverage moderates the effect of EPCS mandates, underscoring the importance of aligning health insurance initiatives with electronic prescribing policies. By identifying the negative spillover effect of EPCS, our work enriches discussions on the societal impacts of information sharing, prompting further research exploration.
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05-SocImpact