Changes in Initial Opioid Prescribing Practices After the 2016 Release of the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain

Key Points Question Did prescribing practices applied to commercially insured patients who were opioid naive change after the 2016 release of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain”? Findings This cohort study included 12 870 612 patients with commercial claims data to examine whether trends in initial prescribing to patients who were opioid naive departed from preguideline trends after the CDC guideline release. Both initial prescribing duration and dosage were significantly lower after the CDC guideline release than would be expected by extrapolating the preguideline trend. Meaning These findings suggest that nonmandatory, evidence-based guidelines from trusted sources may affect clinician prescribing behavior.

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