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The following is a summary of “National opioid prescription decline across outpatient specialty surgeries: a claims database study,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology by Veerabagu et al. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that physicians reduce the prescribing of opioids unless necessary.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to analyze the proportion of patients from 2009 to 2022 who filled an opioid prescription within 1 week after same-day outpatient procedures.  

They included patients aged 18 years and older from Optum Clinformatics Data Mart (CDM) who underwent 1 of the following procedures: reduction mammoplasty (plastic surgery), Mohs micrographic surgery (dermatologic surgery), endoscopic sinus surgery (otorhinolaryngology), arthroscopic shoulder surgery (orthopedic surgery), strabismus surgery (ophthalmology), and vasectomy (urology).  

The results showed that the opioid prescription fill rates for all surgeries increased from 42.8% in 2009 (29854/69781) to 43.1% in 2010 (26897/62348), then decreased annually, reaching 15.9% in 2022 (9784/61420). The average annual percent change in opioid fill rates was statistically significant across all surgeries (p<0.001). From 2012 to 2017, the annual percent change (APC) for opioid fill rates declined significantly at -5.4 (P <0.001). The rate of decline accelerated from 2017 to 2022, with an APC of -12.9 (P <0.001).  

Investigators concluded that there had been a decrease in opioid prescriptions after same-day outpatient procedures across multiple surgical subspecialties, demonstrating improved opioid stewardship. 

Source: jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(25)00610-3/abstract