Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health , with colleagues at the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) , conducted a randomized trial of informative letters aimed at suspected inappropriate prescribers of addictive substances like opioids and amphetamines. Top prescribers of these substances were identified and sent a letter informing them of their high prescribing rate.
The investigators were unable to detect a statistically significant effect of the intervention on prescribing practices.As one of the first studies to evaluate the outcome of an informative letter aimed at reducing potentially inappropriate medical practices, their findings have important ramifications for policymakers seeking to reduce the misuse of prescription drugs. "Because we…
