County-Level Prescribing Rates: Aggregated and Disaggregated

Abstract

The current chapter relies on California data from the PBSS from 2012 and 2017 to detail California’s opioid, stimulant, and benzodiazepine prescribing rates in general, over time, and disaggregated by demographic sub-groups and prescription type. The results show that opioids are prescribed at a higher rate than the other two drug classes. Even so, opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing rates have generally declined for the majority of California’s 58 counties in contrast to stimulant prescribing rates, which have increased from 2012 to 2017. Analytical stratification of this trend reveals important differences by sex, age group, and type of substance. Specifically, females (compared to males) receive prescriptions at a higher rate for all three drug classes, opioids and benzodiazepines were more likely to be prescribed to older patients than stimulants, and prescribing rates and trends vary substantially depending on drug class. While the trends do suggest some declines in opioid prescribing behavior in California, areas for progress still remain.