Indiana's Opioid Prescriptions Have Decreased Since 2013

Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at 12:36 PM

By Kacie Jackson

Fewer Hoosiers have an opioid prescription than six years ago.

File Photo

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Opioid prescriptions in Indiana have decreased by 35.1 percent over the last five years, according to a national report.

The 2019 progress report from the American Medical Association Opioid Task Force shows a reduction in opioid prescriptions from 2013 to 2018 being two percentage points higher than the national average of 33 percent.

The AMA Opioid Task Force continues to urge physicians to make sensible and informed prescribing decisions to reduce the risk of opioid related harms.

They also encourage co-prescribing naloxone to patients at risk of overdose.

Now, more than 66,000 physicians and other health care professionals now have a federal waiver to prescribe buprenorphine in-office for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

“We must continue to work to remove stigma, reduce barriers to evidence-based care and close the gap between the number of patients who need treatment and the number who are receiving it,” says the AMA.

Brian Tabor, Indiana Hospital Association President said, "The opioid epidemic has damaged individuals, families and entire communities in Indiana. It’s encouraging to see tangible results of the collective efforts of the state, the Indiana General Assembly and the medical community.”