Department Blog

Michael Grasso, MD, PhD, and David Jerrard, MD, in collaboration with Clare Grasso, PhD, from UMBC’s Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, co-authored the article titled "Prescriptions Written for Opioid Pain Medication in the Veterans Health Administration Between 2000 and 2016," which was published in the November/December issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine (2017;11[6]:483-8). The investigators used a national cohort that documented 2.5 billion outpatient visits, 18.9 million ED visits, and 12.4 million hospital admissions. The number of opioid prescriptions peaked in 2011, when they were written during 5% of outpatient visits and 15% of ED visits. By 2016, opioid prescriptions were down 37% in outpatient clinics and 23% in EDs. Prescriptions for hydrocodone and tramadol increased markedly between 2011 and 2015. Opioid doses in inpatients settings rose until 2015.