HOPE Center Study Estimates US Healthcare Expenditures for Seniors with and without Prescribed Opioids

College of Pharmacy and HOPE Center investigator, David Rhys Axon, PhD, MPharm, MS, co-authored a study recently published in Pain Medicine. This was a cross-sectional study titled Nationally representative healthcare expenditures of community-based older adults with pain in the United States prescribed opioids versus those not prescribed opioids. The researchers collected data from an estimated 50,898,592 noninstitutionalized US adults aged ≥50 years and determined that individuals prescribed an opioid had up to 105% greater total health care expenditures. The study raises awareness of opioid use among US adults ≥50 years who have pain and the economic impact associated with it.

College of Pharmacy co-authors include Marion Slack, PhD; Jeannie K Lee, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP, FASHP; Terri Warholak, PhD, RPh; and College of Public Health colleague, Lelia Barraza JD, MPH.