The Problem of Data Quality in Analyses of Opioid Regulation: The Case of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs

38 Pages Posted: 17 Sep 2018 Last revised: 31 Aug 2024

See all articles by Jill R. Horwitz

Jill R. Horwitz

UCLA School of Law; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Corey S. Davis

Network for Public Health Law

Lynn McClelland

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law

Rebecca Fordon

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law

Ellen Meara

Harvard Medical School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: August 2018

Abstract

States, which have the primary legal role in regulating the prescribing and dispensing of prescription medications, have created Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMP) to try to reduce inappropriate prescribing, dispensing, and related harm. Research assessing whether these interventions are effective has produced inconclusive and contradictory results. Here we examine whether different data sources may have contributed to the varying results. Specifically, we: 1) identify the decisions inherent in creating such a dataset; 2) discuss the public data sources used by researchers in previous work; 3) develop and apply a detailed research protocol to create a novel PDMP law dataset; and 4) to illustrate potential consequences of data choice, apply various data sources to analyze the relationship between PDMP laws and prescribing and dispensing of opioids among disabled Medicare beneficiaries. We find that our dates differ from those in existing datasets, sometimes by many years. The regression analyses generated a twofold difference in point estimates, as well as different signed estimates, depending on the data used. We conclude that the lack of transparency about data assembly in existing datasets, differences among dates by source, and the regression results raise concerns for PDMP researchers and policymakers.

Suggested Citation

Horwitz, Jill R. and Davis, Corey S. and McClelland, Lynn and Fordon, Rebecca and Meara, Ellen, The Problem of Data Quality in Analyses of Opioid Regulation: The Case of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (August 2018). NBER Working Paper No. w24947, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3244229

Jill R. Horwitz (Contact Author)

UCLA School of Law ( email )

385 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Room 1242
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1476
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Corey S. Davis

Network for Public Health Law ( email )

Saint Paul, MN
United States

Lynn McClelland

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law ( email )

385 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Room 1242
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1476
United States

Rebecca Fordon

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law ( email )

385 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Room 1242
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1476
United States

Ellen Meara

Harvard Medical School ( email )

Department of Health Care Policy
Boston, MA 02115
United States
617-432-3537 (Phone)
617-432-0173 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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