Opioid Measures

PQA Opioid Measures


PQA stewards five opioid measures that focus on safety. Three of these measures focus on opioid prescribing that is associated with an increased risk of opioid overdose, including use at high dosage, use from multiple prescribers and pharmacies, and concurrent use with benzodiazepines. The fourth measure focuses on initial opioid prescribing and evaluates new prescriptions for long duration (>7 days), which is associated with an increased risk of chronic use, misuse, and in some cases, overdose. The final measure evaluates annual drug monitoring among individuals receiving long-term opioid therapy.

  • Use of Opioids at High Dosage in Persons Without Cancer (OHD) (NQF #2940)
  • Use of Opioids from Multiple Providers in Persons Without Cancer (OMP) (NQF #2950)
  • Concurrent Use of Opioids and Benzodiazepines (COB) (#3389)
  • Initial Opioid Prescribing for Long Duration (IOP-LD) (NQF #3558)
  • Annual Monitoring for Persons on Long-Term Opioid Therapy (AMO) (NQF #3451)
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PQA Opioid Measure Overview
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Updated April 2022