Opioid Prescription Trends Among Sleep Surgeons in the United States

Objective This study aimed to describe trends in opioid prescriptions among US sleep surgeons between 2013 and 2021 via a retrospective analysis conducted using publicly available data. Methods Utilizing the CMS part D database, we analyzed data from 82 sleep surgeons, focusing on metrics including number of opioid beneficiaries and claims, opioid cost, and opioid day supply per beneficiary. We employed statistical methods including ANOVA, t-tests, Fisher's exact test with Monte Carlo Simulation, and regression models. Results There were no significant changes in the number of opioid claims (p = 0.782) or beneficiaries per provider (p = 0.590) nor was there a decrease in opioid day supply per beneficiary (p = 0.489) over time. Surgeons who graduated residency before 2000 prescribed significantly more opioids over the course of the study period compared to those graduating after 2000 with higher opioid day supply per beneficiary (13.34 vs. 7.42, p < 0.001), higher opioid beneficiaries per provider (21.62 vs. 19.36, p = 0.028), and higher opioid claims per provider (30.30 vs. 21.78, p < 0.001). A significant annual decrease in opioid cost per beneficiary (ANOVA, p = 0.006) was noted. Conclusions This study illuminates a significant impact of provider years in practice on opioid prescribing trends, alongside a decreasing trend in opioid cost per beneficiary. Despite the evolving paradigm emphasizing opioid reduction and evidence of decreasing opioid prescriptions in other otolaryngology subspecialties, our findings depict that opioid prescriptions among sleep surgeons remained stable from 2013 to 2021.