Opioid Prescribing Rate Falls in Q2, Analysis Finds

The percentage of patients receiving opioid prescriptions fell more quickly in Massachusetts than in the nation as a whole in the first half of 2016, according to data from Athenahealth. Athenahealth researchers found that in the second quarter of this year, 5.2% of patients in Massachusetts received at least one opioid prescription, compared to 6.0% in the first quarter, for a 13.3% decrease. On the national level, 8.3% of patients received an opioid prescription in the second quarter, compared to 9.0% in the first quarter, a 7.8% decrease in the prescribing rate. Athenahealth is a provide...