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# Medicare Part D Opioid Use Down: OIG
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/medicare-part-d-opioid-use-down-oig/
- Published: 2019-07-10T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T01:36:56.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5144501

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) says progress has been made in decreasing opioid use in Medicare Part D and increasing use of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. The OIG [report](https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-02-19-00390.pdf?ref=fdaweb.com) says it is “imperative for HHS, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to continue to implement effective strategies and develop new ones to address the epidemic.”

The OIG has been tracking Medicare opioid use since 2016 and has identified beneficiaries at serious risk of misuse or overdose and has identified prescribers with questionable prescribing for those beneficiaries.

“These types of analyses are crucial to understanding and addressing the national opioid crisis,” the report says. “Building on past OIG work, this data brief details opioid use in Medicare Part D in 2018 and trends in drugs used to treat opioid use disorder.”