Effect of State Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs on Opioid Prescribing

Hao Zhang assessed trends in rates of emergency department visits, emergency department initiated opioid prescriptions, and costs among these populations using the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) claims database, a national dataset of commercially insured and Medicare Advantage individuals. This study generates new knowledge regarding pain management, access to opioid therapies, and costs among patient populations at risk for under treated pain.

Hao Zhang is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine. He completed his doctorate in health services research at Texas A&M University focusing on econometric models and policy analysis. His current research centers on evaluating opioid-related policies and his pilot grant will examine the effect of changes in opioid prescribing practices on patients with metastatic bone cancer and patients with sickle cell disease who may be undertreated for pain.