High mortality rate of unintentional XXXX due to prescription opioids in adults enrolled in Medicaid compared to those not enrolled in Medicaid in Montana.

@entity204 @entity4968
BACKGROUND: Unintentional @entity204 due to prescription drug-related @entity4968 has been a growing problem nationally. Some sub-populations have been shown to be at higher risk than others. METHODS: In 2014, we matched @entity204 records to Medicaid eligibility files to determine enrollment status at the time of unintentional @entity204 from prescription opioid @entity4968 from 2003 to 2012 in Montana. Medicaid prescription claims for decedents were used to assess prescribing patterns and time between refills. RESULTS: The age-adjusted mortality rate per 100,000 from opioid @entity4968 for adults aged 18-64 years and enrolled in Medicaid at the time of @entity204 was eight times higher than the rate for non-Medicaid Montana adults (38.2 [95% CI (30.7-45.7)] vs. 4.7 [95% CI (4.1-5.3)]). Twenty-eight percent of unintentional @entity4968 deaths during this time frame were among Medicaid members. Only 33% of the Medicaid decedents had a claim for an opioid prescription during the month before their @entity204 . CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that more needs to be done to address prescription opioid use in Montana. Adults enrolled in Medicaid continue to be at high risk for prescription opioid unintentional @entity4968 deaths. Data on prescribing practices suggest that there are opportunities to intervene and provide education on use of opioid medications for Medicaid members and prescribing providers.
