Racial/Ethnic Patterns in Opioid Dispensing among Medicaid-Funded Young Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric pharmacology
• Health disparities research
• Public health policy

Background:

• Opioid prescribing patterns in children require examination, particularly concerning racial and ethnic variations.
• Understanding these disparities is crucial for equitable healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate racial/ethnic differences in outpatient opioid dispensing for respiratory system (RESP) and injury (INJURY) diagnoses among children aged 3 years or younger.
• To analyze trends in these dispensing rates over three distinct three-year periods.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of South Carolina Medicaid outpatient claims data for children aged 3 years or younger.
• Calculation of triennial rates of dispensed opioid prescriptions per 1000 visits for RESP and INJURY diagnoses, stratified by racial/ethnic groups.

Main Results:

• Opioid dispensing rates for RESP conditions decreased across all racial/ethnic groups. White children consistently had higher rates than Black and Hispanic children.
• Opioid dispensing rates for INJURY conditions also declined overall. Hispanic children showed the highest dispensing rates, followed by White children. The disparity in INJURY prescribing widened over time, with Hispanic children increasingly receiving more prescriptions compared to White and Black children.

Conclusions:

• Significant racial/ethnic disparities persist in pediatric opioid prescribing for both respiratory and injury-related outpatient visits.
• These differences, particularly for injury indications, have widened over the study period, highlighting a critical area for intervention to ensure equitable care.