Pharmacist inquiries to doctors reduced opioid prescriptions

Pharmacist intervention associated with reduced use and cost of controlled substances among high risk users

Pharmacists flagged the files of Medicare members with high controlled substance (CS) scores. A CS score combines a weighted mix of :
1) volume of controlled substance claims,
2) number of prescribers and pharmacies, and
3) rate of utilization of controlled substances.

Those members’ doctors were contacted to verify if the CS therapy was still appropriate or if changes were needed. Of the members who met study criteria, half had doctor-directed changes to therapy. This decreased members’ average CS scores by 40%.