The Effect of Informative Letters on the Prescription and Receipt of Opioids

Delivery of Health Care Clinical Trial

Official title:

The Effect of Informative Letters on the Prescription and Receipt of Opioids

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Withdrawn

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03202745
• Other study ID #: JPAL-LETTERS-OPIOIDS
• Status: Withdrawn
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: January 2017
• Est. completion date: January 2019

Study information

• Verified date: August 2021
• Source: Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Inappropriate prescribing exposes patients to health risks and results in wasteful public expenditures. This study will evaluate an approach to fighting abusive prescription: sending letters to suspected potentially inappropriate prescribers warning them that they are outliers compared to their peers and have been flagged for review. The study will target high prescribers of opioids in the Schedule II controlled substances class. Two types of letters will be tested: one focusing on the health consequences of inappropriate prescribing for patients, and the other focusing on the consequences for prescribers including e.g. potential administrative actions. Using claims data, the investigators will assess the effect of the letters on prescribing of opioids, receipt of opioids by patients, substitution behavior by prescribers and patients, and health outcomes of patients.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Withdrawn
• Enrollment: 0
• Est. completion date: January 2019
• Est. primary completion date: January 2018
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Outlier with respect to prescribing of Schedule II opioids relative to peers, measured in prescription drug events (PDE), in 2014Q3-2015Q2 and 2015Q3-2016Q2
• Outlier with respect to prescribing of Schedule II opioids relative to peers, measured in 30-day equivalents, in 2014Q3-2015Q2 and 2015Q3-2016Q2

Exclusion Criteria:

• Deceased
• Fewer than 75 Schedule II Opioid PDE in 2015Q3-2016Q2
• Specialty listed as "Student in an Organized Health Care Education/Training Program"

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (U.S.)
• Delivery of Health Care
• Economics
• Fraud
• Health Expenditures
• Prescribing

Intervention

Other:
• Patient Consequences Letter
This letter focuses on the consequences of inappropriate prescribing for patients. It also includes a peer comparison.
• Prescriber Consequences Letter
This letter focuses on the consequences of inappropriate prescribing for prescribers. It also includes a peer comparison.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab	Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, General Services Administration (GSA)

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Morphine Milligrams Equivalent (MME)		9 months