The New York City Prescriber Notification Program: Assessing the Feasibility of a Patient Overdose Death Notification Pilot

Abstract

Opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines remain substantial contributors to unintentional drug overdose deaths in the United States. To promote judicious prescribing and improve care for patients with substance use disorders, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene piloted the Prescriber Notification Program, an educational initiative to deliver targeted public health messaging to providers who had prescribed opioid analgesics and/or benzodiazepines to patients who died from overdose in New York City. This article reports on provider responses to receipt of patient death notifications and program feasibility. Findings demonstrate that a majority of prescribers were not aware of patient deaths prior to receiving notification letters. Public health authorities considering prescriber notification systems should address barriers to implementation and sustainability—in particular, consistent and routine access to and linkage of overdose mortality and prescription monitoring data—as part of planning such programs.