Background: Limited studies have assessed the impact of state regulations on opioid prescribing patterns for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This study evaluates how Florida House Bill 21 (FL-HB21) affected postoperative opioid prescribing for patients after TKA.
Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained to retrospectively review all patients who underwent TKA during 3 months of 2017 (pre-law) and 2018 (post-law) by five arthroplasty surgeons in Florida. Prescribed opioid quantity in morphine milligram equivalents (MME), quantity of refills, and number of prescribers were recorded for each patient's 90-day postsurgical episode. The differences between pre-law and post-law prescription data and short-term postoperative pain levels were compared.
Results: The average total MME was notably reduced by over 30% for all time periods for the post-law group. The average MME per patient decreased by 169 MME at the time of discharge, by 245 MME during subsequent postoperative visits, and by 414 MME for the 90-day postsurgical episode ( P < 0.001 for all). The quantity of refills was unchanged (1.6 vs. 1.6, P = 0.885). The total number of prescribers per patient for the 90-day postsurgical episode was unchanged (1.31 vs. 1.24 prescribers/patient, P = 0.16). Postoperative pain levels were similar at discharge (3.6 pre-law vs. 3.3 post-law, P = 0.272).
Discussion: Restrictive opioid legislation was associated with notably reduced postoperative opioid (MME) prescribed per patient after TKA at the time of discharge and for the entire 90-day postsurgical episode. There was no increase in the number of prescribers or refills required by patients.
Level of evidence: Level III retrospective cohort.
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