Emergency departments are giving fewer prescriptions for opioids, intense painkillers like oxycontin and Vicodin, than ever before, according to a new CDC report.
The analysis showed that from 2019 to 2020 opioids were prescribed to patients leaving the emergency department only 8% of the time, down from 12% in 2017 to 2018.
The decrease was seen for patients across all races and ethnicities.
And for patients with all types of insurance.
It shows that doctors are being more cautious around the addictive drugs, but time will tell if that will help curb the opioid crisis.
